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REUBEN    ROSS. 


LIFE  AND  TIMES 


ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 


BY   HIS  SON, 

JAMES  EOSS. 


WITH   AN    INTRODUCTION   AND   NOTES 
By  J.  M.  Pendleton. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
Pkixted  by  Grant,  Faires   &  Rodgers, 

52  &  64  north  sixth  street. 


I 


TO 

MRS.  MARION  R.  DUDLEY,  OF  LOGAN  CO.,  KENTUCKY: 

THIS  VOLUME,  WRITTEN  TO  ACQUAINT  HER  WITH  THE  LIFE  AND 
TIMES  OF  HER  VENERABLE  GRANDFATHER,   IS   AFFECTION- 
ATELY   DEDICATED    BY    HER     FATHER,    THE    AUTHOR, 
WITH  THE  HOPE  THAT  SHE  AND  OTHERS  OF  HIS 
DESCENDANTS,    BOTH     NOW    AND    HERE- 
AFTER,   MAY    FEEL    AN    INTEREST 
IN    THE    NARRATIVE. 


COJ^TEISTTS, 


INTRODUCTION. 
CHAPTER  I. 

BIRTH   AND   PARENTAGE. 

The  Ross  Family — The  losses  of  Reuben's  father  in  the   Revolutionary 
War — His  parents  pious  Baptists,  and  die  about  the  same  time.  21 

CHAPTER  ir. 

EARLY   LIFE. 

The  Roanoke  River — Its  famous  fisheries — The  shad — The  herring — 
The  sturgeon,  vast  numbers  taken  with  the  seine — Manner  of  using  it 
— Superstitious  persons — Their  stories  about  witches.  27 

CHAPTER  III. 

HIS   EDUCATION. 

Brief  time  at  school — "  Dilworth's  Spelling  book "  and  "  The 
Psalter."  36 

CHAPTER  IV. 

ANECDOTES  OF  EARLY  YEARS. 

The  old  school  schoolmaster — His  accomplishments  — Showing  a  boy 
his  future  bride — A  great  fright — The  old  pioneer  who  made  long  pray- 
ers— Story  about  the  cats.  44 

CHAPTER  V. 

MARRIAGE — THE   YARRELL   FAMILY. 

Mildred  Yarrell — Her  beauty — Her  character — Her  profession  of  reli- 
gion— Domestic  happiness — birth  of  children.  51 

•     CHAPTER  VI. 

HIS   CONVERSION. 

In  what  conversion  consists — Its  necessity — Meaning  of  the  word 
religion.  61 

5 


b  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

BEGINS    TO    PREACH    AND    REMOVES    TO    THE    WEST. 

Relates  his  "  experience  "  to  the  Church — Is  baptized — Feels  great 
desire  for  the  salvation  of  others — Is  licensed  to  preach — Preaching  at 
that  time — Fails  in  business — Sells  out  and  pays  his  debts — Determined 
to  go  Westward — Is  ordained.  69 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

REMINISCENCES   OF   EARLY   DATS. 

Reminiscences — The   twins  —  Pretty  ladies — Their   perfumery — The 

witches — The  Guinea  negroes — The  boy  who  took  too  much  toddy-  The 

musters — The  Court  House — Wild  fruits  and  nuts— The  old  willow — 

The  farewell.  78 

CHAPTER  IX. 

THE   JOURNEY   COMMENCED. 

All  meet  at  the  "  old  church  " — Pitch  their  tents— The  first  night — 
Parting  scene — Pass  by  Guilford,  and  the  battlefield — Sight  of  the  Blue 
Ridge — Manner  of  ascending  it — Frolic  of  the  boys.  90 

CHAPTER  X. 

BEYOND   THE   MOUNTAINS. 

Abingdon — Bean's  Station — Its  historic  interest — Beauty  of  the  moun- 
tain scenery — The  wilderness — An  Indian  visitor — Great  alarm — Pass 
through  Nashville — Reach  Port  Royal.  99 

CHAPTER  XI. 

AFTER   THE  JOURNEY. 

First  Cabin — Teaching  school — His  first  sermon  in  Tennessee — His 
age  and  appearance — First  death  in  the  family — A  reminiscence — The 
country  in  which  he  mostly  preached.  108 

CHAPTER  XII. 

BED   RIVER   CHURCH  ;   ASSOCIATIONS. 

Old  Red  River  Church — Organized  in  1791 — Gave  its  name  to  the 
Association — The  province  of  Associations  among  Baptists — Numerical 
strength  of  Baptists  at  that  time.  118 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

BED   RIVER   ASSOCIATION. 

Number  of  Churches  in  1810 — Their  preachers — Personal  appearance 
— Style  of  preaching — Lewis  Moore  and  Jesse  Brooks.  123 


CONTENTS.  7 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

SKETCHES  OF  EARLY  MINISTERS. 

Elder  Todevine — His  cabin— His  horse  "Snip/'  and  his  dog  "  Pup," 
His  kind  neighbors — Preaches  much  -Manner  of  Preacliing — Hissingu- 
Lir  dream — Fulfilled  in  his  death — Elder  Sugg  Fort — A  favorite  with 
children — Of  agreeable  manners — His  "  spiritualizing."  133 

CHAPTER   XV. 

SKETCIIKS   OF   EARLY   MINISTERS. 

Elder  Daniel  Parker — Man  of  talent — His  appearance — Author  of  the 
"  two  seed  "  doctrine — Elder  Garner  McConnico — His  conversion — His 
commanding  person  and  fine  voice — Ridiculed  by  his  brother  when  he 
began  to  preach — His  removal  from  Virginia  to  Tennessee.  145 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

REMOVAL;   OLD   SPRING   CREEK   CHURCH. 

Moves  nearer  to  Clarksville — Christopher  Owens — Kindness  of  his 
wife — Spring  Creek  Church  formed  in  1808 — Its  locality — No  chimney 
in  the  Meeting  House — Elder  Ross  becomes  pastor  in  1810.  153 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

SCENES   AT   THE   OLD   CHURCH. 

Reminiscences  of  the  Church — No  pleasure  carriages  yet — All  rode  on 
horseback — Crying  babies — Ladies  dresses — Hospitable  families — Boun- 
tiful dinners.  162 
CHAPTER  XVIII. 

LIFE  IN  STEWART  COUNTY. 

Buys  land — Builds   a  cabin — Sugar  making — A  pretty  place — A 

defective  title — Rents  a  place — Fish  story — Bear  story — Preaches  many 

funeral  sermons — Character  of  his  sermons — Elder  Dudley  Williams. 

168 
CHAPTER  XIX. 

CUSTOMS   AND   SCENES   IN   STEWART   COUNTY. 

On  Cumberland  River  above  the  mouth  of  Saline  Creek — Few  inhabi- 
tants— The  conveniences  of  life  scarce — Agriculture  and  manufactures 
in  the  rudest  state — How  the  people  lived.  178 

CHAPTER  XX. 

WAR,    INDIANS,    COMETS,    EARTHQUAKES. 

War  with  England  imminent — Indians  disaifected — Tecumseh'a 
enmity —  Battle  of  Tippecanoe  and  the  Thames — Death  of  Tecumseh — 
Earthquakes— Great  alarm — Reminiscences.  198 


8  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

A   NEW    HOME   IN     MONTGOMERY    COUNTY, 

Returns  to  Montgomery  County — Buys  land — Builds  a  house — does 
much  of  the  work  himself — Digs  a  well — Neighbors  kind — The  "  barrens'' 
scarce  of  timber  and  water.  212 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

OUR   SCHOOL,    EASCOM,    MORRIS,    CARTWRIGHT. 

Our  school  house — The  Church — Our  teachers — The  Barrys — Study 
ing  Latin  —  Methodist  preachers  —  Cartwright — Bascom — Morris — 
Recollections  of  them  and  their  preaching.  224 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE   GREAT   REVIVAL  AND   ITS   PHENOMENA. 

When  and  where  it  began — First  camp-meeting — Barton  W.  Stone 
goes  to  see  about  it — The  exercises — Falling,  jerking,  dancing,  barking, 
laughing.  233 

CHAPTER   XXIV. 

CUMBERLAND    PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH. 

Its  separation  from  the  mother  church — When  organized — Rev.  Finis 
Ewing  a  prominent  minister — Preaches  at  Lebanon  Kentucky — Re- 
moves to  Missouri — Increase  of  Baptists.  248 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

LORENZO    DOW. 

His  conversion — His  dream — Call  to  preach — Partially   deranged — 

Greatly   discouraged — Anecdotes  concerning  him — Will  not  be  governed 

by   his  church  —  Visits   Ireland  and  England —  Dies  in  Georgetown, 

D.  C.  '  256 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

CLARKSVILLE   AND   ITS   RECOLLECTIONS. 

Early  history — Col.  Donelson — Massacre  of  its  first  settlers — Death  of 
Col.  Sevier's  sons  by  Indians — Its  appearance  in  1808 — Reminiscences 
of  William  L.  Brown — Hon.  Cave  Johnson— Baptist  Church  organized 
in  1831 — Elder  Reuben  Ross  first  pastor.  2U8 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

FAMILY   AFFLICTION. 

Loses  four  children  in  1815 — His  daughter  Polly,  in  1816  ;  his  son 
Garrard  in  1823 — Visits  Mississippi — Returns  through  the  Indian 
nation — A  legend  — Indian  customs — Monument  of  Governor  Lewis — 
Death  of  Mrs.  Morrison— Explosion  of  a  bombshell.  269 


CONTENTS.  y 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

ELDER  ROSS  EXPLAINS  HIS  VIEWS. 

Change  of  views — Renounces  hyper  Calvinism — Preaches  the  funeral 
sermon  of  Miss  Eliza  Norfleet  in  1817 —  EMer  Fort  sent  to  expostulate 
with  him,  and  is  converted  to  the  same  views.  278 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

AFTER  DECIDING  UPON  HIS  CHOICE. 

Efi'ects  of  new  .«tyle  of  preaching — Friends  give  him  pecuniary  aid — 
His  wife's  economy — Much  and  successful  preaching — Elder  William 
Tandy  and  Ambro.se  Bourne  true  fellow-laborers.  292 

CHAPTER   XXX. 

FORMATION  OF  BETHEL  ASSOCIATION. 

The  Association  a  result  of  tlie  doctrines  preached  by  Elder  Ross — 
Made  Moderator  of  the  body — The  friendly  separation  from  Red  River 
Association.  305 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

MORE  CHANGES — SKETCH  OF  ROBERT  RUTHERFORD. 

Removes  to  Cedar  Hill — The  new  Association  flourishes — Robert 
Rutherford — His  character — Style  of  preaching — Obituary  of  him  by 
Elder  Robert  Williams.  312 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

SKETCHES  OF  ELDERS. 

Leading  Baptist  preachers — Elder  William  Warder,  Jeremiah  Var- 
deman,  Isaac  Hodgen,  John  S.  Wilson.  321 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

SKETCHES  OF  ELDERS  CONTINUED. 

Elder  Robert  T.  Anderson,  William  C.  Warfield,  R.  W.  Nixon,  Thomas 
Watts,  John  Mallory.  330 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

THE  TRUANT. 

A  youth  wishes  to  make  money,  that   he   may    get  an    education — 

Leaves  home — Has  such  experiences  as  to  cause  his  return — The  fami- 

distressed — The  father  in  search  of  the  son — The  son  goes  after  the  father 

— They  meet.  339 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

DR.  CHARLES  MERIWETHER  AND  HON.  JOHN  W.  TYLER. 

'  The  Truant  "  goes  to- Dr.  Charles  Meriwether's  to  board — He  attends 


10  CONTENTS. 

school — Dr.  Meriwether  a  gentleman  and  scholar — Educated  in  Scot- 
land— Mrs.  Meriwether — The  "Shaker's" — The  school  of  John  W. 
Tyler.  34y 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

ALEXANDEB  CAMPBELL. 

Birth  and  education— Arrived  in  New  York  in  1809 — A  "  Seceder  "  by 
profession —Becomes  a  Baptist— Two  debates  on  Baptism,  which  make 
him   popular     with  .  Baptists — Some    views     that    excite    apprehen- 
sion. 359 
CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

DISSENT  FROM  ALEXANDER  CAMPBELL. 

Elder  Ross  read  Mr.  Campbell's  "writings — Was  instructed — Dissented 
from  his  views  on  Faith,  Remission  of  sins,  and  the  Influence  of  the 
Holy  Spirit— Grounds  for  his  dissent.  309 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

END  OF  THE  REFOEMATION. 

Additional  remarks  concerning  Mr.  Campbell  and  the  reformation  ho 
attempted  to  establish.  378 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

PHPvENOLOGY,  MESMEPvISM,  SPIRITUALISM,  ETC. 

Phrenology,  Mesmerism,  Modern  Spiritualism,  Steam-Doctors-       385 
CHAPTER   XL. 

DEATH    OF     MRS.    ROSS. 

Her  illness  and  death — Her  character  and  religious  life  — Funeral  ser- 
mon by  Dr.  Samuel  Baker.  400 
CHAPTER  XLI. 

LAST   YEAR   AT   HIS   OLD   HOME. 

Continued  to  live  at  Cedar  Hill— Preaches  as  before— Resigns  tlie 
Moderatorship  of  Bethel  Association — Minute  expressive  of  the  feelings 
of  the  body.  408 

CHAPTER  XLII. 

LAST    ILLNESS   AND    DEATH. 

Illness  borne  with  patience — Death  calm  and  peaceful — Burial  at 
Cedar  Hill — Commemorative  discourse  at  Bethel  Church.  416 

CHAPTER  XLIII. 

MEMORIAL    SERVICE. 

Monument  reared  to  his  memory — Memorial  services. 
APPENDIX. 

BRIEF  SKETCH  OF  THE  AUTHOR.  425 


INTRODUOTIOjS" 


Memorable  among  American  years  was  the  year  1776.  It  was  the 
yeAr  in  which  our  Revolutionary  fathers  adopted  the  "  Declaration  of 
Independence,"  and  pledged  for  its  support  their  "lives,  their  fortunes, 
and  their  sacred  honor."  They  were  noble  men.  How  brightly  did 
the  flame  of  patriotism  burn  on  the  altar  of  their  hearts !  How  pure 
was  their  love  of  liberty  !  How  anxious  their  solicitude  for  the  welfare 
of  their  posterity !  There  was  something  sublime  in  the  fact  that, 
though  few  in  number,  they  fearlessly  threw  their  banner  to  the  breeze 
of  heaven,  resolved  on  victory  or  death.  They  contended  against  the 
mightiest  nation  on  the  globe,  but  their  heart  faltered  not.  Their 
military  resources  were  scanty,  but  trusting  in  God,  and  sustained  by 
the  justice  of  their  cause,  they  went  forward  under  the  command  of  the 
great  Washington,  till,  after  a  struggle  of  seven  years'  continuance, 
during  which  their  blood  stained  the  soil  from  Massachusetts  to  South 
Carolina,  they  triumphantly  achieved  the  object  of  their  patriotic  ex- 
ertions. Let  it  never  be  forgotten  that  American  independence  -was 
secured  by  as  precious  blood  as  was  ever  shed  in  the  cause  of  human 
liberty.  Degenerate  sons  of  noble  sires  are  those  who  do  not  appreciate 
the  heritage  which  we  enjoy — a  heritage  bought  at  such  a  price — a 
heritage  covered  with  Revolutionary  glory,  and  transmitted  to  us  by 
the  hands  of  our  fathers. 

In  the  remarkable  year  to  which  I  have  referred,  that  is  to  say,  on 
the  9th  of  May,  1776,  in  Martin  County,  North  Carolina,  the  infant, 
Reuben  Ross,  first  saw  the  light,  and  wept  at  its  entrance  on  the  rough 
journey  of  life.  Alas,  the  eyes  that  wept  so  soon,  wept  often,  and  con- 
tinued to  weep  till  more  than  fourscore  years  had  fled. 

The  Ross  family  is  of  Scotch  descent,  and  the  grandfather  of  Reuben 

11 


12  INTRODUCTION. 

settled  in  an  early  day  at  Roanoke,  Virginia.  The  year  of  his  emigration 
from  Scotland  cannot  now  be  given.  His  son  William,  the  father  of 
Reuben,  was  a  citizen  of  Martin  County,  North  Carolina,  and  had  for 
his  wife  a  woman  of  vigorous  mind,  superior  in  intellect  to  himself. 
They  were  both  Baptists,  and,  so  far  as  circumstances  allowed,  brought 
up  their  children  "in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord."  Many, 
however,  were  the  difficulties  they  had  to  encounter.  The  whole 
country  was  in  a  state  of  restless  excitement  for  years  before  the  com- 
mencement of  the  War,  and  from  the  battle  at  Lexington  to  the  sur- 
render of  Cornwallis  at  Yorktown  anxious  fears  filled  the  minds  of  the 
people.  We  may  well  imagine  how  such  a  state  of  things  interfered 
with  the  regular  training  of  children. 

William  Ross  was  the  father  of  ten  ciiildren,  of  whom  Reuben  was 
the  youngest  son.  Three  of  his  brothers  were  in  the  war  of  the  Revo- 
lution, and  two  of  them,  Martin  and  James,  became  Baptist  ministers. 

Reuben  went  to  school  only  nine  months  in  all,  at  different  times,  in 
the  course  of  seven  years,  and  left  school  finally  at  fourteen  years  of 
age.  He  greatly  desired  an  education,  but  could  not  obtain  it.  He 
considered  it  his  duty  to  contribute,  by  physical  labor,  to  the  support 
of  his  father's  family.  To  such  labor  he  may  have  been  indebted  for 
that  vigor  of  constitution  which  made  him  every  inch  a  man,  and 
lengthened  out  his  days  so  far  beyond  the  ordinary  limit  of  human  life. 
He  knew  in  his  youth  and  early  manhood  the  inconveniences  of  poverty. 
And  why?  Because  his  father  had  sacrificed  an  independent  estate  to 
promote  the  objects  of  the  War  ;  and  his  youngest  son,  when  he  had 
become  old,  was  heard  by  the  writer  to  say:  "I  was  always  proud 
that  my  father  became  poor  by  spending  his  estate  to  carry  out  the 
principles  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence."  Such  language  as  this 
could  not  have  been  spoken  if  patriotism  had  not  reached  its  climax 
and  its  perfection.  Poverty  is  generally  regarded  as  a  calamity,  but 
Reuben  Ross  rejoiced  in  his  youth,  in  his  manhood,  and  in  his  old 
age,  that  his  father  became  poor  by  cheerfully  surrendering  his  estate 
to  help  forward  the  Revolutionary  contest.  How  safe  would  our  coun- 
try be  if  such  a  spirit  of  patriotism  pervaded  the  hearts  of  all  American 
citizens  ! 

Young  Ross  was  at  school  but  nine  months ;  and  these  months  not 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

consecutive,  but  interspersed  through  a  period  of  seven  years,  so  that  he 
was  at  school  only  a  few  days  at  a  time.  "  Dihvorth's  Spelling  Book'' 
and  the  "  Psalter  "  were  the  books  chiefly  used  in  schools  at  that  period. 
The  educational  facilities  of  the  country  were  very  meager.  None  but 
the  rich  were  able  to  send  their  sons  from  home  and  give  them  the 
advantages  of  Collegiate  training.     Hence  there  were  but  few  scholars. 

God  had  given  to  Reuben  Ross  superior  intellect,  and  superior  intel- 
lect will  display  itself  amid  the  greatest  disadvantages.  There  is  a 
buoyant  elasticity  in  it  which  enables  it  to  rise  and  throw  oflf  the  in- 
cumbent mass  with  which  untoward  circumstances  oppress  it.  Well  is 
it  that  it  is  so.  Owing  to  this  peculiarity  of  a  vigorous  mind,  the  sub- 
ject of  these  Memoirs,  in  spite  of  the  unfavorable  surroundings  of  his 
youth,  rose  to  distinction,  and  became  a  favorite  preacher  of  the  learned 
and  the  unlearned.  For  long  years  the  educated  and  the  unlettered 
listened  with  the  deepest  interest  to  the  wondrous  things  he  told  them. 
But  I  am  anticipating  : 

The  mother  of  Reuben  Ross  was  a  woman  of  prayer,  and  maintained 
family  worship  in  the  absence  of  her  husband  from  home.  He  was 
often  absent  during  the  War.  She  rose  early  and  sat  up  late.  Her 
domestic  duties  probably  rendered  this  necessary,  but  she  had  another 
object  in  view.  She  wished  to  pray  in  secret  without  disturbance. 
Early  in  the  morning  and  late  at  night  she  called  on  God,  supposing 
that  his  ear  alone  heard  her.  It  was  not  so.  The  ear  of  Reuben 
heard.  Sometimes  his  slumbers  were  disturbed  at  night,  and  he  heard 
his  mother  praying — sometimes  he  waked  early  in  the  morning  a-nd  he 
heard  the  same  imploring  whisper.  He  afterward  called  them  "  whisper- 
prayers.''  He  did  not  let  his  mother  know  that  he  heard  them,  yet 
they  made  an  impression  on  him  which  went  with  him  to  his  grave. 
In  the  days  of  his  subsequent  thoughtlessness  he  never  forgot  that  his 
mother  prayed,  never  forgot  her  "  whisper-prayers."  Who  knows  how 
much  those  prayers  had  to  do  with  his  conversion  and  usefulness  in  the 
ministry  ?  One  of  the  greatest  blessings  known  on  earth  is  the  blessing 
of  a  mother's  praj-ers,  and  the  most  cruel  manner  in  which  children  can 
be  disinherited  is  not  to  be  prayed  for  by  their  parents. 

Tliough  often  impressed  with  the  importance  of  salvation,  Reuben 
Ross  did  not  become  a  Christian  till  he  reached  his  twenty-sixth  year. 

2 


14  INTRODUCTION. 

Then  he  was  led  to  see  and  feel  himself  a  sinner  against  God,  and  after 
experiencing  much  anguish  of  soul  he  was  enabled,  by  divine  grace,  to 
trust  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  This  brought  peace  and  joy  to  his  soul. 
He  soon  felt  that  it  was  his  duty  to  make  a  public  profession  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  was  baptized  by  Elder  Luke  Ward.  Not  long  after  his 
baptism  he  became  anxious  to  glorify  God  by  doing  good  in  the  world ; 
and,  strange  as  it  was  to  him,  the  thought  of  preaching  would  come 
into  his  mind.  He  tried  to  dismiss  the  subject  from  his  consideration, 
for  he  regarded  himself  as  utterly  destitute  of  ministerial  qualifications. 
He  was  tempted  to  believe  that  if  the  people  knew  he  had  thoughts  of 
preaching,  they  would  say  he  wanted  to  be  like  his  two  brothers,  who 
were  preachers.  This  annoyed  hira  not  a  little.  Preachers  were  not 
supported  in  those  days,  and  he  concluded  to  sell  his  land  and  engage 
in  merchandise  until  he  made  money  enough  to  sustain  his  family, 
thinking  he  might  then  with  greater  propriety  devote  himself  to  the 
ministry,  if,  indeed,  his  impressions  continued.  As  soon  as  he  began 
"to  sell  goods''  his  impressions  in  regard  to  preaching  left  him,  nor  did 
they  return  till  he  became  embarrassed  by  the  failure  of  his  mercantile 
arrangements.  Then  they  returned  with  great  power,  and  he  ever 
believed  that  his  want  of  success  was  providential,  because  he  was  not 
employed  as  the  Lord  intended  he  should  be.  He  now  began  to  feel 
that  he  must  preach  the  gospel,  and  was  licensed  by  the  church  in  the 
year  1806.  When  he  made  his  first  attempt  at  speaking  in  public  he 
was  ashamed  to  leave  the  house,  after  the  services  were  over.  He  was 
unwilling  for  any  one  to  see  him,  and  wished  to  hide  himself.  Among 
many  things  that  troubled  him  there  was  this  fact:  ^Lmy  of  the 
preachers  of  that  section  of  country  professed  to  preach  by  inspiration 
or  its  equivalent.  They  were  accustomed  to  begin  their  sermons  by 
saying  that  they  had  not  studied  their  subjects,  and  had  not  seen  their 
texts  for  a  considerable  time,  and  that,  therefore,  whatever  they  said 
must  be  received  as  coming  immediately  from  God.  The  candor  of 
Reuben  Ross  did  not  permit  him  to  do  and  say  this.  He  studied  his 
subjects  as  well  as  he  could,  and  told  the  people  that  he  knew  nothing 
but  what  he  had  learned.  In  after  years  he  sometimes  amused  himself,  in 
a  circle  of  special  friends,  by  referring  to  his  statement  of  a  truth  too  ob- 
vious to  need  statement ;  but  at  the  time  it  was  a  serious  matter  with  him. 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

The  church  of  which  ho  was  a  member  cnconragorl  him,  and  even 
called  for  his  ordination  the  year  after  giving  him  license.  This  was 
done  when  ho  was  about  to  emigrate  to  Tennessee.  Under  dilTcrent 
circumstances  ho  would  have  protested  against  ordination,  for  ho 
attached  much  importance  to  the  apostolic  admonition,  "  Lay  hands 
sudilenly  on  no  man."  In  1807,  having  been  solemnly  ordained  by 
Elders  Joseph  Biggs,  Luke  Ward,  and  James  Ross,  he  left  the  State  of 
his  birth  and  turned  his  steps  to  Tennessee,  at  that  time  a  place  very 
attractive  to  North  Carolinians. 

It  is  a  sad  thing  to  leave  one's  native  land,  and  the  graves  of  kindred, 
and  to  go  among  strangers.  On  such  occasions  the  most  manly  heart 
trembles  with  emotion,  and  tears  come  into  eyes  unused  to  weep,  as  tho 
scenes  of  childhood  are  left  forever. 

"  Breathes  there  a  man  with  soul  so  dead 
Who  never  to  himself  hath  said: 
'  This  is  my  own,  my  native  land '  ?  " 

The  "old  North  State''  was  dear  to  Reuben  Ross,  but  he  thought 
preachers  were  more  needed  in  Tennessee,  and  supposed  he  could  better 
•provide  for  his  rising  family  in  a  new  State,  where  land  was  much 
cheaper  and  more  fertile.  He  sighed  and  wept  at  the  graves  of  his 
kindred  and  started  on  his  pilgrimage  westward.  His  prayer  was  that 
God  would  be  with  him,  conduct  him  safely  to  the  end  of  his  journey, 
and  then  be  his  God  and  the  God  of  his  family  forever.  He  reached  the 
neighborhood  of  Port  Royal,  Tennes-ee,  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  1807. 
Here  he  sojourned  for  a  time,  and  his  removal  to  other  places  is  minutely 
described  in  the  pages  which  await  the  reader's  perusal.  It  may  be 
said,  however,  that  his  permanent  place  of  residence  was  about  six 
miles  from  Clarksville,  and  that  his  ministerial  labors  were  devoted 
chiefly  to  the  Counties  of  Robertson,  Montgomery,  and  Stewart,  Ten- 
nessee ;  and  those  of  Logan,  Todd,  and  Christian,  Kentucky. 

In  all  the  early  years  of  his  ministry  his  hands  ministered  to  his 
necessities  and  to  those  of  his  family.  Having  heard  that  he  was 
accustomed  to  carry  his  Bible  with  him  to  his  work,  I  once  asked  him 
if  it  was  so.  He  replied  that  it  was.  In  opening  his  farm,  after  cutting 
down  a  tree,  he  often  sat  on  its  stump  to  rest  for  a  time  ;  and  while 
resting  he  read  his  Bible  that  he  might  learn  more  about  tho  word  of 


16  INTRODUCTION. 

God,  and  prepare  himself  as  well  as  he  could  to  preach  to  his  neighbors 
on  the  next  Lord's  Day.  I  have  seen  many  likenesses  of  him  taken  in 
after  years,  but  the  likeness  I  should  specially  rejoice  to  see  would  be  a 
representation  of  him  with  his  coat  off,  sitting  on  the  stump  of  a  tree  he 
had  just  felled,  with  the  Bible  open  in  his  hands.  I  would  intently 
gaze  upon  it,  and  I  am  sure  I  should  weep.  What  a  picture !  Reuben 
Ross,  with  the  sweat  extorted  by  physical  labor  on  his  brow,  the  Bible 
in  his  hands,  treasuring  up  the  words  of  eternal  life  !  I  would  hang  up 
such  a  picture  in  every  preacher's  study,  and  in  every  theological  semi- 
nary, that  the  present  generation  of  ministers  might  be  reminded  of 
one  of  the  ways  by  which  one  of  the  fathers  became  mighty,  not  in 
philosophy,  not  in  science,  but  like  ApoUos,  "  mighty  in  the  Scriptures." 
It  will,  no  doubt,  be  strange  to  many  to  learn  that  Reuben  Ross,  in 
the  first  years  of  his  ministry,  did  not  preach  to  impenitent  sinners. 
Under  the  influence  of  the  erroneous  sentiments  he  had  imbibed,  he  felt 
that  he  had  no  message  to  them.  He  considered  the  gospel  as  addressed 
to  elect  sinners,  and  as  he  could  not  tell  who  except  Christians  were 
elect,  he  confined  his  labors  to  the  people  of  God,  and  dwelt  chiefly  on 
the  con.solatory  topics  of  the  Bible..  He  made  the  old  English  distinc- 
tion, and  classified  sinners  as  "sensible''  and  "  insensible" — a  distinction 
which  Andrew  Fuller  attacked  with  his  mighty  pen.  A  sensible  sinner 
was  a  sinner  who  had  feeling  on  the  subject  of  salvation,  while  an  in- 
sensible sinner  had  none.  This  sensibility,  rather  than  the  teachings  of 
God's  word,  was  allowed  to  decide  to  whom  the  gospel  was  to  be  ad- 
dressed ;  for  it  was  to  be  considered  an  intimation  of  God's  purpose  of 
mercy  toward  those  who  possessed  it.  Insensibility,  it  was  argued, 
indicated,  on  the  part  of  God,  an  absence  of  all  merciful  intentions. 
True,  the  sensible  sinner,  before  the  period  of  sensibility,  was  insensible, 
and  this  fact  was  very  perplexing  to  the  investigating,  logical  mind  of 
Reuben  Ross.  He  reasoned  on  it  by  day  and  by  night.  Amid  the  toils 
of  his  agricultural  pursuits,  his  mind  toiled  and  labored  over  this  knotty 
point  in  his  theology.  He  pondered  the  Apostolic  Commission  :  "Go 
ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature :  He  that 
belie veth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved  ;  but  he  that  believeth  not  shall 
be  damned."  The  common  exposition  of  this  passage  was  that  the 
gospel  was  to  be  preached  to  every  elect  creature,  and  therefore  minis- 


INTRODUCTION.  17 

ters  must  wait  till  some  evidence  of  election  was  given  before  they  were 
authorized  to  preach  the  gospel  to  a  person.  This  view  could  not  long 
satisfy  such  a  mind  as  that  of  Reuben  Ross.  He  read,  "  He  that  be- 
lieveth  not  shall  be  damned."  He  saw  that  the  teachings  of  the  pulpit 
at  that  day  led  to  the  conclusion  that  some  of  the  elect  creatures  might 
refuse  to  believe,  and  bring  upon  themselves  damnation— a  conclusion 
at  war  with  the  dogmas  of  the  ministry.  After  much  thought,  per- 
plexity, and  prayer,  he  began  to  look  on  the  commission  in  its  obvious 
sense.  He  saw  its  comprehensiveness — "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world." 
He  could  not  deny  its  definiteness  —  "Preach  the  gospel  to  eveet 
CREATURE."  He,  therefore,  having  in  the  meantime  read  Andrew 
Fuller's  "  Gospel  worthy  of  all  Acceptation,"  settled  down  in  the  belief, 
from  which  he  never  afterward  swerved,  that  all  men  without  exception 
are  subjects  to  whom  the  gospel  should  be  addressed.  He  renounced 
the  doctrine  which  has  received  the  de.<iignation  Hyper-Calvinism. 
From  that  time,  as  long  as  his  voice  was  heard  from  the  pulpit,  no  one 
rejoiced  more  than  he  to  proclaim,  "  Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come 
ye  to  the  waters." 

The  reader  will  learn  from  the  pages  that  follow  how  effective  were 
the  labors  of  Elder  Ross  from  the  time  of  this  change  in  his  views  to 
the  end  of  his  ministerial  career.  It  will  be  seen  that  under  the  in- 
spiration of  these  labors  the  Bethel  Association  was  formed,  composed 
of  churches,  some  in  Kentucky  and  some  in  Tennessee,  and  that  the 
number. of  its  churches  at  its  formation  has  been  more  than  quadrupled. 
He  was  often  called  the  father  of  this  Association,  and  was  its  Modera- 
tor for  twenty-five  years. 

As  a  preacher  Elder  Ross  cannot  be  easily  described  so  as  to  give 
an  adequate  idea  of  either  himself  or  his  sermons.  In  his  best  days  his 
person  was  not  only  impressive,  but  majestic.  His  appearance  com- 
manded respect  and  reverence.  His  presence  awed  wicked  men  into 
propriety  of  demeanor.  His  countenance,  especially  in  the  pulpit,  was 
clothed  with  solemnity,  so  that  his  hearers  at  once  felt  that  he  had 
something  of  transcendent  importance  to  tell  them.  After  attending 
the  old  Triennial  Convention  in  Philadelphia  in  1844,  I  remember  that, 
on  returning  to  my  home  in  Kentucky,  I  said  to  my  friends  that  I  had 
seen  no  man  whose  appearance  impressed  me  like  that  of  Elder  Reuben 


18  INTRODUCTION. 

Ross.  There  was  in  the  expression  of  his  eyes  and  in  the  features  of 
his  face  a  union  of  intelligence,  gentleness,  solemnity,  greatness,  majesty. 

In  his  sermons  were  combined  exposition,  argument,  and  exhorta- 
tion. He  was  able  in  his  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures,  and  though 
he  had  no  knowledge  of  the  languages  in  which  they  were  originally 
written,  he  was  superior  in  exposition  to  most  learned  ministers.  The 
reason,  doubtless  was,  that  the  Spirit  who  indited  the  Holy  Oracles 
dwelt  in  his  heart  and  sanctified  his  large  common  sense,  thus  utilizing 
it  in  the  explanation  of  the  divine  word. 

When  the  nature  of  his  sermons  called  specially  for  argument  he 
displayed  logical  ability.  He  had  no  acquaintance  with  Logic  techni- 
cally ;  he  knew  nothing  of  its  Moods  and  Figures,  but  he  knew  that  if 
such  and  such  things  were  so,  then  such  and  such  results  must  follow, 
and  vice  versa.  There  was  no  artificial  laying  down  of  premises,  and  no 
scholastic  deduction  of  conclusions,  but  the  whole  thing,  for  substance, 
was  done.  Positions  were  established  and  fortified  by  such  reasoning 
as  no  sophistry  could  successfully  assail.  This  argumentative  power 
was  of  great  value  in  doctrinal  discussions,  and  the  prevalence  of  truth 
in  many  places  is  traceable  to  its  able  advocacy  by  Elder  Reuben 
Ross. 

But  it  is  not  to  be  forgotten  that  his  sound  expositions  and  conclusive 
arguments  were  designed  to  furnish  a  basis  of  persuasion,  so  that  he 
might  prevail  on  his  hearers  to  do  what  his  expositions  and  arguments 
indicated  ought  to  be  done.  Here,  therefore,  was  the  place  for  hortatory 
appeal,  and  who  that  has  heard  it  has  forgotten  it?  Sometimes  the 
appeal  would  recognize  "the  terror  of  the  Lord,"  and  then  the  preacher 
seemed  to  be  clothed  with  terror.  He  trembled  while  pronouncing  the 
doom  of  the  ungodly,  and  implored  his  impenitent  hearers  to  escape 
that  doom.  Most  usually,  however,  the  love  of  God  in  the  gift  of  his 
Son,  the  tragical  death  of  the  cross,  the  value  of  the  soul,  the  advantages 
of  piety  in  this  life,  and  immortal  glory  in  the  life  to  come,  supplied 
the  hortatory  element  in  his  sermons,  especially  in  their  peroration. 
His  appeals  were  generally  fine  specimens  of  impassioned  eloquence, 
and  at  times  their  power  was  transcendent  and  irresistible.  They  car- 
ried everything  before  them.  The  intonations  of  the  preacher's  voice 
were  melting,  finding  their  way  to  every  heart ;  his  deep  emotion  was 


INTRODUCTION.  19 

seen  on  the  quivering  lip  and  in  the  tearful  eye,  while  the  whole  face 
wa5!  in  a  glow  of  ardent  excitement.  I  have  seen  the  wonders  of  Ken- 
tucky's great  Cave,  the  thousand  objects  of  interest  in  our  Centennial 
Exposition,  the  magnificent  scenery  of  mountains  and  vales,  the  wild, 
dashing,  thundering  waters  of  Niagara,  and  I  have  stood  on  the  shore 
of  the  Atlantic,  where  wave  after  w^ave  has  rolled  in  majesty  and 
power;  but  I  do  not  remember  anything  that  has  impressed  me  more 
deeply  than  a  sight  of  Elder  Rjuben  Ross,  with  a  couitenance  full  of 
dignity,  solemnity,  anxiety,  ten  lernoss,  and  love,  entreating  sinners  to 
accept  Christ  and  salvation. 

It  remains  for  me  to  express  my  gratification  that  the  public  ia  to 
be  favored  with  "  RocoUeotions  of  the  Life  ani  Times "  of  this  good 
and  great  man.  It  is  a  beautiful  thing  that  the^e  Recollections  are 
those  of  a  son  who  intended  them  as  a  tribute  of  filial  admiration,  and 
also  as  a  legacy  to  his  daughter.  The  spare  hours  of  about  ten  years 
were  consecrated  by  the  son  to  the.se  reminiscences  of  the  father,  and 
the  eon  has  since  passed  away.  There  is  no  escape  from  the  stroke  of 
death.     Parents  and  children  are  equally  mortal. 

In  the  "Recollections"  which  follow  there  is  not  only  an  account 
of  the  "  Life  and  Times,"  but  also  of  the  death  and  burial  of  Elder 
Reuben  Ross.  He  first  saw  the  light  in  North  Carolina— the  greater 
part  of  his  life  was  spent  in  Tennes.see — and  he  died  in  Kentucky.  His 
body  was  conveyed  to  his  former  home  near  Clarksville,  Tennessee,  and 
buried  by  the  wife  of  his  youth,  under  the  spreading  branches  of  a 
noble  oak,  and  not  far  off  a  cluster  of  cedars,  evergreens,  fit  emblems  of 
immortality,  on  whose  boughs  birds  of  charming  notes  often  perch. 
Sing  on,  sweet  birds !  You  will  not  disturb  the  silent  sleepers,  and 
may  the  lightnings  of  heaven  spare  that  oak. 

J.  M.  PENDLETON. 
Upl.ind,  Pa.,  February  1,  1882. 


LIFE  AIN'D  TIMES 


OF 


Elder  Reuben  Ross. 


CHAPTER   I. 

BIRTH   AND    PARENTAGE, 

On  the  right  bank  of  the  Eoanoke  River,  in  Martin 
County,  North  Carolina,  stands  Williamston.  As  I  re- 
member it  when  a  child,  it  was  a  long  straggling  village, 
with  one  principal  street  running  through  its  entire  length, 
from  south  to  north  down  to  the  landing  on  the  river. 
On  each  side  of  this  street,  which  was  covered  with  sand, 
stood  dwelling-houses,  stores,  shops,  taverns,  built  with 
little  or  no  regard  to  what  might  add  to  the  beauty  or 
attractiveness  of  the  place.  There  stood  on  one  side  of 
the  street  the  court-house,  Williamston  being  then,  as  now, 
the  county  seat.  This  was  even  then,  as  I  remember  it, 
an  ancient-looking  structure  of  the  rudest  kind. 

Near  this  town,  but  a  little  to  the  east,  in  a  locality 
known  as  the  "  Islands,"  on  the  ninth  of  May,  1776,  your 
grandfather  was  born.  He  was  the  ninth  of  ten  children, 
six  sons  and  four  daughters.  Among  the  dim  recollections 
of  my  earliest  childhood,  there  was  a  house  with  a  large 

2*  21 


22  ELDER   EEUBEN   ROSS. 

central,  oblong  room,  with  side  rooms  adjoining,  all  under 
the  same  roof.  In  front  of  this  grew  a  gigantic  mulberry- 
tree,  which,  with  its  dense  foliage,  -shaded  most  of  the 
front  yard,  and  under  which,  in  pleasant  weather,  the 
family  often  took  their  meals.  I  remember  being  there 
often  with  your  grandmother,  and  feeling  quite  at  home 
there ;  and  I  doubt  not  that  it  was  the  place  where  your 
grandfather  was  born.  I  have  learned  lately  that  there 
is  still  in  that  vicinity  what  is  known  as  the  "Koss  Place," 
long  since  deserted,  where  a  number  of  neglected  graves 
may  be  seen. 

Your  grandfather's  family  was  originally  from  Scotland. 
The  name  is  identiiied  there  with  many  places,  and  is  also 
borne  by  many  persons.  There  was,  as  he  used  to  say,  a 
tradition  that  in  early  times  several  persons  of  this  name 
left  Scotland  together,  crossed  the  Atlantic,  and  settled  in 
Virginia;  that  their  descendants — many  of  them — emi- 
grated into  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania;  that  their  com- 
plexions were  generally  dark  (Ross  Dhu) ;  and  that  almost 
every  family  had  a  John,  William,  or  James  in  it.  The 
name  is  not  "unknown  to  fame,"  having  been  borne  by 
statesmen,  philosophers,  warriors,  and  navigators. 

His  grandfather,  William  Boss,  a  descendant  of  these 
supposed  traditional  ancestors,  emigrated  from  Virginia 
to  Martin  County,  North  Carolina;  date  unknown.  His 
father,  also  named  William,  was  born  August  9th,  1731, 
0.  S.  The  maiden  name  of  his  mother  was  Mary  Griffin. 
They  were  married  in  1756.* 

*  A  further  account  of  the  family  from  an  old  family  record  was 
brought  from  North  Carolina  in  1833. 

"  William  Ross,  Senior,  of  Martin  County,  was  the  son  of  William 
Ross,  formerly  of  the  State  of  Virginia,  who  came  to  this  State,  namely 


BIRTH    AND    PARENTAGE.  23 

His  parents  were  apparently  estimable  characters,  both 
members  of  a  Baptist  church,  and  both  adorning  their 
profession  by  pious  and  godly  lives.  I  have  heard  your 
grandfather  describe  them  as  a  grave  and  thoughtful  pair, 
having  two  prominent  objects  ever  in  view, — the  faithful- 
performance  of  all  the  duties  of  this  life,  and  a  diligent 
preparation  for  the  life  after  this.  All  their  religious 
duties  were  carefully  observed,  especially  fiimily  worship. 
Every  night  before  retiring,  the  children  and  servants  took 
their  seats,  a  chapter  of  the  Bible  was  read,  a  hymn  was 
sung,  after  which  all  knelt  in  prayer.  When  his  father 
was  from  home,  the  mother  took  his  place  at  the  family 
altar,  and  prayed  audibly  with  her  children  and  servants. 
When  in  health,  she  was  ever  the  last  to  retire  to  rest, 
and  before  doing  so,  she  would  kneel  a  second  time  at  her 
bedside  in  silent  prayer. 

I  infer  from  what  your  grandfather  said,  that  professors 

North  Carolina,  and  settled  in  the  above-named  county.  His  son,  the 
father  of  the  children  whose  names  are  under-written,  was  born  on  the 
9th  of  August,  1731,  0.  S.,  and  departed  this  life  the  25th  of  December, 
1801. 

"  His  funeral  sermon  was  preached  to  a  very  large  audience,  by  the 
Rev.  Aaron  Spivy,  from  Job  2:17.  '  There  the  wicked  cease  from  troub- 
ling and  the  weary  be  at  rest.' 

"  The  names  and  births  of  the  children  are  as  follows : 
"John,  born  September     3rd,  1757. 


William. 

"     January 

17th, 

1760. 

Martin, 

"     November 

27th, 

1762. 

Winifred, 

"     March 

9th, 

1765. 

Nannie, 

"     March 

26th 

1767. 

James, 

"     March 

19th, 

1769. 

Mary, 

"     February 

11th, 

1771. 

Nathan, 

"     November 

2nd, 

1773. 

Reuben, 

"     May 

9th, 

1776. 

Elizabeth, 

"     May 

3rd, 

1779." 

24  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS.. 

of  religion  in  those  days  were  generally  more  grave  and 
serious  than  now.  The  members  of  the  Baptist  churches 
at  that  time,  almost  without  exception,  believed  that  a 
large  proportion  of  the  human  race,  including  perhaps 
many  of  those  dearest  to  them  on  earth,  had  no  chance  for 
salvation,  but  were  doomed  from  the  beo-innino;  to  endless 
wo.  We  can  hardly  conceive  how  they  could  feel  joyous 
and  happy  with  a  creed  so  terrible. 

I  have  heard  your  grandfather  say,  that  in  prayer  his 
father  was  singularly  impressive.  That  his  earnestness, 
together  with  the  beauty  and  simplicity  of  his  language, 
could  hardly  fail  to  inspire  feelings  of  veneration  and  de- 
votion in  those  who  heard  him ;  that,  like  Boyle,  the 
great  Christian  philosopher,  the  thought  of  coming  into 
the  presence  of  the  Deity,  and  pronouncing  his  awful 
name,  seemed  to  exalt  all  his  faculties  and  feelings.  I 
have  often  heard  him  speak  of  a  prayer  he  oifered  in  my 
behalf,  that  was  long  remembered  in  the  family.  When 
the  old  patriarch  heard  of  my  birth,  he  hurried  over  to 
see  the  young  stranger,  and  to  inquire  after  his  mother. 
After  inspecting  him,  and  deciding,  as  is  usual  in  such 
cases,  that  he  was  a  "  wonderfully  fine  boy,"  he  proposed 
that  all  should  kneel  down  and  invoke  a  blessing  on  him. 
It  was  said  that  he  seemed  on  this  occasion  almost  like 
one  inspired,  so  many,  so  rich,  and  so  appropriate  were 
the  blessings  he  invoked,  in  language  so  elevated  and  beau- 
tiful. Those  who  heard  it  could  but  think  of  the  patri- 
archal days.  He  entreated,  in  conclusion,  "  when  his  course 
is  finished,  full  of  days  and  full  of  honors,  may  it  be  his 
lot  to  '  die  the  death  of  the  righteous,'  and  may  he  be 
worthy  to  wear  the  bright  unfading  crown  in  reserve  for 
those  who,  bv  faithful  continuance  in  well  doing,  seek  for 


BIRTH    AND   PARENTAGE.  25 

» 

glory,  honor,  and  immortality."  I  was  often  reminded, 
'when  a  child,  of  this  prayer  in  my  behalf,  generally  when 
out  of  fevor  on  account  of  bad  conduct,  and  I  would  be 
quite  penitent  for  a  time,  and  make  many  resolutions  to 
do  better ;  buC^  alas !  then,  as  since,  they  were  too  soon 
forgotten. 

His  father  Wiis  successful  in  accumulating  property. 
The  vast  cane  brakes  on  the  rich  alluvial  lands  along  the 
Roanoke  River  aflforded  abundant  food  for  cattle,  summer 
and  winter,  and  the  mast  that  fell  from  the  forest  trees 
enabled  him  to  raise  hogs  to  good  profit,  but  little  corn 
being  needed,  and  that  only  to  keep  them  gentle.  These 
products  were  sold  chiefly  to  traders  from  New  England, 
who  ascended  the  Roanoke  in  their  vessels.  This  enabled 
him  and  others,  who  were  industrious  and  enterprising, 
to  realize  large  profits  for  those  times.  All  this  pros- 
perity, however,  vanished  at  the  commencement  of  the 
Revolutionary  war.  British  cruisers  filled  the  waters. 
Trade  of  all  kinds  was  paralyzed,  and  at  the  close  of  that 
eventful  period,  he  found  himself  a  poor  man,  compara- 
tively, with  a  large  family  to  provide  for.  Yet  he  was 
never  heard  to  complain  on  account  of  his  changed  circum- 
stances, but  rather  to  rejoice  that,  by  the  sacrifice  of  his 
property  and  by  sending  his  three  sons — William,  John, 
and  Martin — into  the  army,  he  had  contributed  his  mite 
to  obtain  the  priceless  blessings  of  freedom.  Your  grand- 
father always  spoke  of  this  circumstance  with  evident 
'pride. 

At  length  the  time  appointed  for  him  to  leave  this  world 
arrived.  On  the  21st  of  December,  1801,  "he  finished  his 
course."  His  faithful,  affectionate  wife  soon  followed  him. 
They  were  separated  a  few  months  only.     From  what  I 


26  ELDER   EEUBEN    ROSS. 

have  learned  from  your  grandfather,  and  also  from  your 
grandmother,  of  these  pious,  amiable  old  people,  I  came 
to  feel  great  reverence  and  respect  for  their  memory,  and 
to  associate  with  it  all  that  was  venerable  and  good. 

Of  all  these  children,  not  one  is  now  living.  They  all 
married  and  had  families,  except  Mar}'-,  who  died  young. 
Your  grandfather  was  greatly  attached  to  this  sister,  and 
spoke  of  her  in  most  affectionate  terms.  Two  of  his 
brothers,  Martin  and  James,  and  two  sisters,  Mary  and 
Elizabeth,  died  in  Carolina.  Two  brothers,  John  and  Na- 
than, and  two  sisters,  Nannie  and  Winifred,  died  in  Ten- 
nessee. His  brother  William,  the  first  to  leave  his  native 
State,  soon  after  the  war  of  Independence,  settled  in  Mis- 
souri, and  died  near  Cape  Girardeau. 


CHAPTER  11. 

EARLY    LIFE. 

The  Roanoke  river  is  a  fine  large  stream  that  rises  in 
the  mountains  of  Virginia,  flows  in  a  southeasterly  direc- 
tion, enters  North  Carolina  at  some  distance  above  the 
town  of  Weldon,  and  finally  discharges  its  waters  into  Al- 
bemarle Sound,  which  extends  inland  from  the  Atlantic 
some  sixty  miles  or  more. 

It  was  famous  in  the  early  times  for  its  valuable  fisher- 
ies. In  it  were  caught,  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year, 
fish  of  the  finest  quality  in  countless  numbers.  Families 
living  near  it  during  one  of  these  seasons  supplied  them- 
selves with  enough  of  this  article  of  food  to  last  them  till 
the  next. 

Of  all  the  fish  taken  from  this  river  the  shad,  as  I  think, 
was  most  highly  esteemed.  It  was  a  broad  flat  fish 
weighing  five  or  six  pounds  generally,  but  sometimes  much 
more ;  and  when  properly  prepared  for  the  table,  was 
unsurpassed  in  delicacy  and  richness  of  flavor  by  any  of 
the  finny  tribes.  It  was  what  was  called  a  pan  fish,  and 
while  being  cooked,  a  rich  aroma,  like  that  from  fine  ham, 
would  pervade  the  whole  premises.  Great  numbers  of 
them  were  salted  down  and  kept  in  this  way;  but  were 
much  less  esteemed  than  when  fresh.  They  moved  in  such 
immense  shoals  that  many  thousands  were  often  taken  in 
a  single  haul  with  a  seine.     Herrings  also,  a  much  smaller 

27 


28  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

fish,  were  taken  in  still  greater  numbers.  These  were 
mostly  salted  down  in  barrels  and  shi}]pped.  Of  these 
every  family  kept  full  supplies.  When  kept  for  this  pur- 
pose they  were  generally  slightly  salted,  then  hung  upon 
reeds  passed  through  the  head,  and  smoked.  When  hang- 
ing thus,  in  nice  rows  in  the  smoke-house,  like  tobacco  to 
be  cured  in  a  barn,  they  looked  quite  pretty.  I  remember 
when  a  child,  that  on  coming  in  from  play  between  meals, 
and  begging  for  something  to  eat,  your  grandmother 
would  give  me  a  piece  of  bread  and  one  of  these  herrings 
and  send  me  ofi"  to  broil  it  on  the  coals  for  lunch.  I 
thought  them  very  good  eaten  in  this  way,  but  would 
seldom  taste  them  at  the  table.  I  remember  what  were 
called  rock  or  rock-fish  were  greatly  prized.  They  were 
of  large  size  and  delicious  flavor. 

But  the  sturgeon,  generally  four  or  five  feet  long, 
though  sometimes  much  longer,  attracted  my  attention 
most.  They  had  a  habit  of  leaping  from  the  water  per- 
pendicularly into  the  air  and  then  falling  into  it  again 
with  a  splash.  When  a  little  fellow  I  loved  to  stand  on 
the  river  bank  and  watch  their  performances.  When 
caught,  as  they  often  were,  and  laid  on  the  bank,  I  con- 
sidered them  as  monsters  to  behold.  Many  kinds  of  fish 
that  we  are  glad  to  get  in  this  country  were  hardly  ever 
eaten  there. 

These  various  kinds  of  fish  were  mostly  taken  with 
a  seine,  consisting  of  net-work  made  very  strong  and 
wide,  the  lower  edge  being  sunk  down  to  the  bottom  of 
the  river  by  leaden  sinkers,  and  the  upper  edge  kept  even 
with  the  surface  by  buoys  made  of  cork.  The  seine  was 
often  of  great  length,  and  when  used  one  end  was  made 
fast  to  the  bank  and  the  rest  of  it  put  into  a  boat,  carried 


EARLr  LIFE.  29 

out  into  the  stream,  and  dropped  into  the  water  as  the 
boat  went  towards  the  opposite  shore.  Then,  making  a 
long  sweep  down  the  stream,  tlie  other  end  was  brought 
to  the  same  bank.  The  fish  in  ascending  the  river  in  vast 
shoals  were  thus  cauglit  and  dragged  ashore.  Nothing 
could  be  more  beautiful  than  to  see  their  bright  silvery- 
sides  shining  in  the  water  as  they  came  in  sight.  I  re- 
member hearing  the  superintendent  of  one  of  the  fisheries 
say  to  one  who  inquired  of  him,  that  he  thought  he  had 
caught  about  sixty- thousand  herrings  at  a  haul  they  had 
just  made.  This  perhaps  sounds  to  you  like  a  genuine 
fish-story,  but  if  you  will  read  the  accounts  from  some  of 
the  great  fisheries  lower  down  the  Eoanoke,  and  in  some 
of  the  rivers  of  Virginia,  you  will  see  that  this  story  is  not 
incredible.  In  the  bright  days  of  early  spring  I  often 
stole  away  from  home,  and  with  other  little  boys,  mingled 
with  the  animated  crowds  along  these  fishing  shores.  On 
this  stream,  as  your  grandfather  has  often  told  me,  he 
spent  many  of  the  most  romantic  and  happy  days  of  his 
early  life.  He  was  selected,  on  account  of  his  skill  as  a 
fisherman,  to  keep  his  father's  family  supplied  with  fish. 
Are  we  not  here  reminded  of  others  in  the  olden  times, 
who  after  having  followed  the  same  pursuit,  like  him  be- 
came "  fishers  of  men  ?"  It  always  seemed  to  afford  him 
pleasure  to  speak  of  this  period  of  his  early  life.  And 
when  doing  so  he  would  enter  a  good  deal  into  particu- 
lars. When  engaged,  as  he  would  say,  in  fishing  on  pri- 
vate account  or  to  obtain  family  supplies,  they  generally 
went  out  two  together.  One  of  them  would  sit  in  the 
stern  of  the  boat  and  manage  the  rudder  and  the  other 
hold  the  net  deep  in  the  water.  When  the  fish  in  ascend- 
ing the  river  would  become  entangled  in  its  meshes,  they 
would  be  lifted  out  and  dropped  into  the  boat  or  canoe. 


30  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

His  fishing  companion  was  a  negro  boy  belonging  to  his 
father  named  Drewey,  to  whom  he  was  greatly  attached 
on  account  of  his  many  good  qualities.  I  do  not  remem- 
ber to  have  heard  him  mention  but  one  fault  Drewey  had. 
He  would  always  consume  on  the  -first  day  all  the  pro- 
visions he  had  put  up  to  last  him  for  several.  When  ex- 
postulated with,  and  told  how  childish  and  silly  it  was  to 
act  in  that  way,  he  would  say  : 

"  Master  Reuben,  don't  say  anything  more  about  it, 
please.  I  can  fast  as  well  as  any  nigger  when  there  is  no 
longer  anything  in  my  basket  to  eat,  but  till  then  I  must 
be  eating  all  the  time,  for  I  am  all  the  time  hungry.  I 
aint  like  you  no  how." 

Drewey  died  when  young,  but  was  never  forgotten  by 
his  young  master.  He  sadly  missed  his  companionship 
and  faithful  services  after  his  death. 

I  have  heard  him  say,  the  highest  success  in  fishing 
involved  both  toil  and  danger ;  that  he  was  most  success- 
ful when  the  nights  were  dark,  the  waters  turbid  and 
swollen,  and  the  masses  of  drift  passing  swiftly  by,  often 
in  dangerous  proximity  to  his  little  craft.  But  when  day 
had  dawned  upon  him,  and  after  a  night  of  toil  and  dan- 
ger he  came  safe  ashore,  his  canoe  laden  with  the  trophies 
of  his  prowess  and  skill,  his  toils  and  dangers  were  soon 
forgotten  in  the  pride  of  success. 

His  life  among  the  fishermen  brought  him  in  contact 
with  a  great  variety  of  characters  of  that  class,  and  even 
late  in  life  he  used  to  repeat  many  amusing  anecdotes,  of 
which  a  few  only  are  remembered. 

People  often  came  down  from  a  distance  to  the  river, 
with  vehicles  of  various  descriptions,  in  order  to  get  fish 
for  their  families.     Many  of  these  were  very  superstitious, 


EARLY    LIFE.  31 

and  could  tell  marvelous  tales  of  witches,  ghosts,  and  ap- 
paritions, to  which,  when  a  boy,  he  listened  with  great 
interest.  Those  who  came  down  from  the  piny  woods  re- 
ported them  in  those  early  times  as  abounding  in  witches. 
These  hags  amused  themselves,  as  was  said,  by  taking  men 
out  of  their  beds  at  night  and  riding  on  them  up  and  down 
the  country,  always  selecting  those  they  disliked,  or  who 
had  offended  them  in  any  way.  They  were  represented  as 
merciless  riders,  going  straight  forward  through  thick  and 
thin  to  their  places  of  meeting,  or  those  where  they  held 
their  dances,  without  turning  to  the  right  or  left.  It  was 
said  that  many  a  poor  fellow  had  been  found  in  his  bed  in 
the  morning  more  dead  than  alive,  covered  with  dust  and 
mire,  who  had  been  ridden  the  previous  night.  These 
they  would  sometimes  permit  to  rest  a  day  or  two,  and 
then  take  them  out  again,  and  they  continued  to  do  so 
until  the  poor  fellows  would  become  weary  of  life,  and, 
finally,  sicken  and  die. 

A  hunter,  as  they  reported,  took  his  gun  one  morning 
and  went  out  to  hunt,  but  did  not  go  far  before  he  saw 
a  fine  doe  standing  near  him.  He  raised  his  gun,  took 
deliberate  aim,  and  fired.  The  deer  seemed  rather  amused 
than  otherwise, — ran  around  him  several  times  and  stopped 
again.  Again  he  loaded  his  gun  and  fired,  more  delib- 
erately than  before,  with  no  better  success.  This  was 
repeated,  until,  at  length,  he  recollected  that  he  had  a 
small  piece  of  silver  in  his  pocket.  With  this  he  loaded 
his  gun,  and,  taking  aim  at  its  side,  fired.  At  this  the 
deer  fell,  but  soon  sprung  to  its  feet  again,  ran  off  through 
the  woods  and  disappeared.  On  going  to  the  spot  where 
it  fell,  he  saw  blood.  Following  the  bloody  trail,  it  led 
him  to  the  house  where  the  most  famous  witch  in  all  the 


32  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

country  lived.  On  inquiring  about  the  health  of  the 
family,  a  boy  told  him  his  great-grandmother  had  just 
died.  On  inquiring  about  her  ailment,  he  was  told  she 
died  of  a  pain  in  her  side. 

These  witches  could  transform  themselves  into  various 
animals.  They  seemed  generally  to  prefer  the  form  of 
cats.  They  did  not  always  ride  on  people  to  their  meet- 
ings. They  .were  sometimes  mounted  on  broom-sticks, 
pokers,  hogs,  goats,  and  dogs.  At  their  assemblies  the 
old  Enemy  always  presided,  in  the  shape  of  a  large  black 
goat. 

After  getting  through  with  the  witches,  they  would  tell 
hira  about  the  famous  Captain  Kidd,  the  renowned  pirate, 
whose  black  banner  waved  so  long,  the  terror  of  the  east- 
ern seas ;  how  he  buried,  somewhere  on  the  Carolina 
coast,  large  chests  of  ill-gotten  gold,  and  by  his  spells  and 
enchantments  had  given  these  chests  the  power  of  moving 
under  the  ground,  like  fish  in  the  water ;  how  some  men 
could,  by  a  divining  rod,  tell  exactly  where  these  chests 
lay  at  any  time ;  how  large  bodies  of  men  had  often  gotten 
together  to  dig  for  them ;  and  how  they  had  sometimes 
been  so  close  upon  them  as  to  be  able  to  get  a  glimpse 
before  they  would  pass  out  of  sight.  Many  of  them  never 
seemed  to  doubt  that,  sooner  or  later,  they  would  get  pos- 
session of  this  golden  treasure,  and  then  adieu  to  all  earthly 
troubles.  Visions  of  wealth  and  magnificence  would  flit 
before  their  simple  minds,  and  their  eyes  would  sparkle 
with  anticipated  ease  and  splendor. 

Such  were  some  of  the  strange,  wild  stories  he  remem- 
bered to  have  heard  these  people  relate  when  he  was  young, 
and  what  lent  an  additional  charm  to  them  was,  as  he  said, 
their  perfect  faith  in  their  truthfulness.    His  reminiscences 


EARLY   LIFE.  33 

of  these  times,  and  of  these  singular  people,  always  seemed 
to  afford  him  a  melancholy  pleasure,  as  they  brought  back 
to  his  mind  the  happy  years  of  his  boyhood. 

He  took  no  little  pains  to  give  me,  when  young,  some 
general  idea  of  the  features  of  the  country  where  he  was 
brought  up,  and  of  the  character  of  the  people  at  that  time, 
and  according  to  my  recollection  it  was  pretty  much  as 
follows : 

All  the  country  lying  east  and  southeast  of  Williams- 
ton,  on  both  sides  of  Albemarle  Sound,  was  low,  flat,  and 
inundated,  to  a  great  extent,  when  the  waters  of  the  Ro- 
anoke were  high;  it  abounded  in  cane  brakes  and  jungles, 
almost  impenetrable,  and  infested  with  bears,  wolves,  pan- 
thers, and  other  wild  beasts  destructive  to  stock. 

There  were  also  many  "  dismal  swamps  "  of  great  ex- 
tent, whose  waters  were  nearly  black,  whence  arose  the 
melancholy  Cypress  trees,  whose  roots,  rising  in  many 
places  above  the  dark-colored  water,  and  called  by  the 
people  "  Cypress-knees,"  gave  \  weird  and  spectral  cha- 
racter to  the  scene. 

The  country  to  the  south  and  west  was  an  extensive 
sandy  plain,  covered  with  lofty  pine  trees,  yielding  lum- 
ber, tar,  rosin,  and  turpentine  in  great  quantities,  which 
were  shipped  abroad,  and  formed  the  basis  of  a  consider- 
able trade.  In  this  region  of  country,  the  land  lying  along 
the  rivers  and  smaller  streams  was  productive,  while  in 
the  pine  districts  it  yielded  but  little  to  reward  the  labors 
of  the  husbandman.  The  lands  lying  north  of  Williams- 
ton  and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Roanoke  were  more 
productive.  The  people  inhabiting  this  region  were,  as 
usual,  divided  into  three  classes, — the  rich,  the  well  to  do, 
and  the  poor.     Those  of  the  first-mentioned  class  were 


34  ELDER    REUBEN   ROSS. 

very  wealthy,  one  man  owning,  in  many  cases,  hundreds 
of  slaves,  and  land  and  other  property  in  proportion. 
Being  well  educated  (many  of  them  abroad),  they  were 
refined  and  polished  in  their  manners,  and  their  style  of 
living  was  almost  princely.  The  females  of  this  class, 
especially  when  young,  were  often  of  dazzling  beauty,  with 
clear  olive  complexions,  fine  large  eyes,  faultless  in  their 
forms  and  features,  and  distinguished  for  that  air  of  ele- 
gant repose  which  lends  so  great  a  charm  to  feminine  love- 
liness. 

The  men  of  these  families  were  generally  less  prepos- 
sessing, being  rather  too  delicate  and  efi"eminate  to  com- 
port with  manly  beauty.  This  he  thought  was  due  to  the 
malarial  character  of  the  country  along  the  Atlantic  sea- 
board, and  to  this  he  also  attributed  the  swarthy  com- 
plexion of  the  people,  more  especially  of  those  much  ex- 
posed to  the  weather. 

This  portion  of  Carolina  was  very  unfavorable  to  the 
health  of  children,  so  that  often  out  of  a  family  of  six  or 
eight  in  number,  not  more  than  one  or  two  would  live  to 
grow  up  and  marry.  And  as  the  heir  of  one  estate  would 
often  marry  the  heiress  of  another,  should  this  continue 
any  length  of  time,  as  it  often  did,  the  estates  would  finally 
become  overgrown  and  unwieldy. 

These  families  were  very  exclusive,  and  seemed  to  have 
a  society  very  much  of  their  own,  visiting  each  other  from 
a  distance.  I  remember,  when  a  little  lad,  hearing  won- 
derful accounts  of  their  splendid  entertainments,  brilliant 
assemblies  of  elegantly  dressed  ladies  and  gentlemen,  and 
the  profusion  of  gold  and  silver  ])kite  and  costly  wines. 
To  these  stories  we  children  would  listen  with  as  much 
interest  as  to  an  Arabian  tale. — The  middle  class,  as  he 


EARLY    LIFE.  35 

said,  was  industrious,  intelligent,  and  enterprising,  but, 
in  general,  poorly  educated. — Those  of  the  third  class  were 
light-hearted,  improvident  and  thoughtless,  and  almost 
entirely  uneducated.  They  lived  mostly  among  the  pine 
forests,  collecting  tar,  turpentine,  and  rosin,  as  already 
stated,  which  they  would  carry  down  to  the  river  in  little 
primitive  carts,  without  a  particle  of  iron  about  them, 
drawn  along  the  level  sandy  roads  by  a  breed  of  horses, 
small,  but  capable  of  almost  any  amount  of  endurance. 
They  gcinerally  returned  with  but  little  of  the  proceeds  of 
their  sales,  most  of  it  having  been  spent  for  oysters,  beer, 
cakes;  cider,  and  West  India  rum,  and  the  remainder  in  a 
few  flashy  articles  of  finery  for  their  wives,  daughters,  or 
sweethearts.  These  were  the  people  who  were  wont  .to 
entertain  him  so  much  with  their  wild  romantic  stories. 

Such,  my  dear  Marion,  as  he  used  to  describe  it  to  me, 
was  the  country  where  your  grandfather  was  born,  the 
people,  and  some  of  the  scenes  and  incidents  of  his  early 
life.  But  on  looking  over  these  pages,  as  they  have  been 
written,  I  can  but  feel  how  much  of  that  interest  is  want- 
ing which  he  could  impart  by  his  manner  of  describing 
them. 


CHAPTEB   III. 

HIS   EDUCATION. 

It  has  been  said,  with  some  degree  of  plausibility,  that 
all  which  is  absolutely  necessary  to  influence  and  success 
in  life,  so  far  as  education  is  concerned,  is  simply  to  know 
how  to  read  and  icrite.  Since  this,  of  itself,  opens  the  door 
to  all  the  treasures  of  learning  and  knowledge  that  have 
been  accumulating  since  the  beginning  of  time ;  that  this, 
like  the  talismanic  words  of  the  story,  when  rightly  used, 
will  give  admission  into  the  cave  in  which  are  contained 
the  treasures  of  silver  and  gold  and  sparklmg  gems.  And 
the  fact  that  so  many  beginners,  starting  with  this,  have 
made  such  vast  accumulations  of  learning,  knowledge,  and 
wisdom,  seems  to  confirm  the  sentiment,  and  discredit  the 
notion  of  the  poet  who  says  : 

"  A  little  learning  is  a  dangerous  thing." 

It  is  not  intended  by  any  means,  however,  to  convey  the 
idea  that  a  thorough  course  of  general  study  is  not  in 
every  way  desirable. 

Your  grandfather  affords  a  striking  example  of  the  great 
benefits  that  may  accrue  to  one's  self  and  others  from  a 
very  limited  education  when  rightly  improved.  His  edu- 
cational advantages  were,  indeed,  small.  All  the  time  he 
spent  at  school  was  less  than  twelve  months,  and  these 
36 


HIS   EDUCATION.  37 

not  consecutive  :  it  would  be  a  month  or  two  at  one  time, 
and  then  a  few  months  or  weeks  at  another.  After  his 
fourteenth  year  he  never  went  to  school  again.  Why  his 
attendance  at  school  was  so  irregular  and  short,  I  do  not 
remember  ever  to  have  heard  him  say ;  but  I  suppose  it 
was  in  part  owing  to  his  own  indifference,  and  in  part  to 
the  want  of  schools  in  the  country  at  that  time.  You  will 
remember,  too,  that  he"  was  the  youngest  son,  and  the 
youngest  child  but  one.  There  is  reason  to  believe,  like- 
wise, that  his  parents,  being  then  in  their  old  age,  indulged 
him  a  good  deal,  and  permitted  him  to  have  his  own  way 
pretty  much,  and  to  go  to  school  only  when  he  chose  to 
do  so. 

He  learned,  during  this  short  and  irregular  attendance 
at  school,  to  read  well,  to  write  a  good  hand,  and  enough 
of  arithmetic  to  answer  the  ordinary  purposes  of  life.  I 
is  clear  from  this  that  his  capacity  for  learning  wa.s 
above  the  average ;  for  few  boys  have  been  known  to  do 
so  much  in  the  same  time  and  in  similar  circumstances. 
Dilworth's  spelling-book  (of  which  you  have  probably 
never  heard  the  name,  though  famous  in  its  day),  and  the 
Psalter  (a  book  in  which  the  Psalms  of  David  were  ar- 
ranged for  the  service  of  the  Church  of  England),  were 
the  books  with  which  education  in  those  days  began  and 
often  ended.  As  for  grammar,  he  did  not  understand  a 
single  principle;  though  few  who  heard  his  public  addresses 
or  private  conversations  would  have  supposed  this  to  be 
the  case.  A  veiy  critical  ear  only  would  have  observed 
that  he  now  and  then  failed  to  make  the  verb  agree  with 
its  subject,  and  the  relative  with  its  antecedent,  according 
to  the  rules  of  grammar.  This  purity  of  style  I  attribu- 
ted to  his  natural  good  taste,  improved  by  reading  the 
3 


38  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

fine  old  writers  in  history,  divinity,  etc.,  whenever  they 
fell  into  his  hands  in  after  years. 

Few  persons  could  master  more  perfectly  the  contents 
of  any  book  they  read,  or  more  readily  detect  a  flaw  or 
sophism  that  might  lurk  in  the  reasoning.  The  exact 
words  an  author  used  he  seldom  took  the  pains  to  remem- 
ber ;  but  his  thoughts  and  reasoning  were  seldom  forgot- 
ten. In  regard  to  the  Sacred  Writings  it  was  different. 
Here,  in  his  quotations,  every  syllable  and  word  was  in 
its  proper  place ;  and  when  repeated  with  faultless  accu- 
racy in  his  discourses,  especially  after  becoming  warmed 
v^^ith  his  subject,  they  gave  to  his  style  a  solemn  grandeur 
and  beauty  bordering  on  the  sublime,  and  left  on  the 
minds  of  those  who  heard  him  a  deep  and  enduring  im- 
pression. 

No  one  ever  more  lamented  the  want  of  learning  than 
he  did,  in  later  years.  On  two  occasions  especially  did  he 
lament  this.  The  first  was  during  the  troubles  that  prece- 
ded his  separation  from  his  old  hyper-Calvinistic  brethren ; 
the  second,  when  a  division  among  the  Baptist  churches  was 
impending,  on  account  of  the  views  promulgated  among 
them  by  Elder  A.  Campbell  and  his  followers.  He  thought, 
had  he  been  a  ready  writer,  he  could  have  rendered  im- 
portant service  to  the  cause  of  religion  and  truth,  on  both 
these  occasions.  And  we  may  well  believe  that  many  valu- 
able thoughts,  which  would  have  been  useful  then  and  read 
now  with  both  pleasure  and  profit,  have  been  lost.  He 
would  have  been  much  gratified,  too,  as  I  know,  to  have 
been  able  to  leave  behind  him  his  views  on  various 
religious  subjects  in  which  he  felt  a  very  deep  interest. 
During  the  last  visit  but  one  I  made  him  before  his  death, 
he  took  great  pains  to  explain  some  of  these  to  me,  and, 


HIS   EDUCATION.  39 

as  I  believe,  to  impress  them  on  my  memory  with  the 
hope  that  I  would  remember  them  after  he  was  gone.  I 
do  not  remember  ever  to  have  seen  him  more  interesting, 
animated,  or  more  eloquent  than  at  this  time;  and  I  shall 
endeavor  to  reproduce  them  in  the  course  ol'  this  nar- 
rative. 

As  regards  your  grandfather's  religious  education,  or 
training,  it  was  similar  to  that  of  the  church  to  which  his 
parents  belonged,  namely,  the  old  Calvinistic  Baptists. 
All  or  nearly  all  of  these  believed,  at  that  time,  in  what  are 
known  as  the  Jive  points  of  Calvin.  These  were,  "  Uncon- 
ditional Election,  Particular  Redemption,  Total  Depravity, 
Grace  Invincible,  Final  Perseverance  of  the  Saints  through 
Grace  to  Glory." 

Those  of  this  faith  never  thought  that  much  could  be 
done  for  their  children,  so  far  as  salvation  was  concerned, 
by  religious  instruction.  They  believed  that  those  of  them 
who  had  been  elected  from  the  foundation  of  the  world 
would  be,  at  the  appointed  time,  "effectually  called"  and 
brought  into  the  fold ;  that  until  then  the  most  that  could 
be  done  for  them  was  to  teach  them  to  show  a  decent  re- 
spect for  religion,  to  attend  family  worship  and  preaching, 
to  be  upright  and  moral  in  their  conduct ;  and  when  the 
appointed  time  should  come,  the  Holy  Spirit  would  begin 
a  mysterious  work  of  grace  in  the  soul,  and  carry  it  on 
with  a  power  that  nothing  could  withstand,  till  they  were 
regenerated,  pardoned,  and  saved  ;  that  it  was  best,  while 
this  was  going  on,  for  no  one  to  interfere,  but  to  leave  the 
sinner  entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  knew 
far  better  than  any  mere  mortal  how  to  carry  on  and 
complete  the  work.  The  resistance  on  his  part  was,  as  they 
thought,  often  long,  and  the  conflict  fearful.     It  wa.s  all  of 


40  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

no  avail  though,  for  when  once  the  "  arrows  of  conviction" 
had  entered  the  soul,  sooner  or  later  it  must  submit;  there 
was  no  escape.  It  was  thought  that  there  were  always 
certain  indications  of  what  was  going  on,— a  peculiar  ex- 
pression of  the  countenance,  a  disposition  to  silence  and 
solitude,  an  indifference  to  the  common  concerns  of  life. 
At  these  indications,  the  good  old  brethren  and  sisters 
would  look  mysteriously  at  each  other,  shake  their  heads, 
and  talk  in  whispers.  They  understood  it  all,  having 
"  travelled  the  same  dark  road  themselves,"  as  they  were 
wont  to  say. 

The  individual  thus  exercised  inspired  a  kind  of  awe. 
He  was  looked  upon  as  one  for  whom  the  powers  of  the 
invisible  world  were  contending, — Spirit  with  spirit.  And 
how  they  all  rejoiced  when  they  heard  the  conflict  was 
ended,  the  victory  won,  and  another  of  the  elect  saved 
from  the  power  and  dominion  of  Satan  !  The  "  stronger 
the  convictions  and  the  more  powerful  the  conversions," 
the  greater  the  rejoicing  on  these  occasions.  None,  I  pre- 
sume, who  have  had  opportunities  of  seeing  and  hearing 
these  old  Christians  talk,  will  think  the  above  account  too 
highly  colored.  But  alas,  for  those  of  their  children  who 
were  not  of  the  elect !  They  were  doomed  from  the  be- 
ginning ;  for,  not  being  included  in  the  plan  of  salvation, 
they  could  only  live  on  during  their  allotted  time,  die,  and 
be  lost  forever,  "to  the  praise  of  his  glorious  justice,"  as 
they  would  express  it. 

Your  grandfather,  even  when  a  boy,  seems  to  have 
learned  a  good  deal  in  regard  to  the  views  and  sentiments 
of  his  predestinarian  parents,  as  one  would  infer  from  such 
anecdotes  as  the  following,  which  I  have  heard  him  repeat 
more  than  once. 


HIS   EDUCATION.  41 

On  one  occasion,  while  playing  among  the  apple  trees 
in  his  father's  orchard,  he  so  managed  as  to  get  on  the 
back  of  one  of  the  horses,  rather  vicious  in  disposition, 
without  either  saddle  or  bridle.  He  had  no  sooner  done 
so  than  the  horse  started  off  at  full  speed.  At  this  he 
was  well  pleased  until,  on  looking  before  him,  he  saw 
with  terror  the  horse  was  going  directly  under  a  large 
limb,  extending  horizontally  from  the  tree,  so  low  that  it 
seemed  impossible  to  pass  under  it  without  being  killed, 
unless  it  had  been  decreed  otherwise.  So  far  as  he  could 
see,  his  time  had  come,  and  escape  was  impossible,  when 
suddenly  the  thought  flashed  across  his  mind  that,  by  en- 
twining his  left  hand  in  the  horse's  mane,  keeping  his  left 
leg  only  over  his  back,  and  lying  close  to  the  horse's  side 
with  the  rest  of  his  body,  he  might  possibly  pass  under  it. 
He  carried  out  the  plan,  and  escaped  unhurt.* 

After  recovering  somewhat  from  his  terror  and  thinking 
it  all  over,  he  concluded  that  he  was  indebted  for  his  life 
to  one  of  those  decrees  he  had  heard  so  much  about,  and 
thought  that  any  boy  ought  to  consider  himself  fortunate, 
who  had  one  of  these  in  his  favor  in  time  of  trouble,  espe- 

*  It  would  be  well,  not  only  for  boys,  but  for  persons  of  mature 
years,  to  remember  that  God's  purposes  or  decrees  furnish  his  rule  of 
action,  and  that  their  execution  does  not  interfere  with  the  freedom  of 
human  agency.  So  far  from  it,  they  are  often,  to  say  the  least,  carried 
into  effect  through  the  free  agency  of  men.  Thus,  while  it  was  decreed 
that  Christ  should  die,  the  decree  became  effective  through  the  volun- 
tary agency  of  the  Jews  who  procured  his  crucifixion. — Acts  xi.  23. 
They  acted  freely,  and  their  sin  was  fearfully  great.  Whatever  the 
views  of  the  boy  Reuben  Ross  may  have  been  concerning  the  divine 
decrees,  when  the  time  of  danger  came  he  immediately  resorted  to  tbe- 
best  means  for  saving  his  life.  He  cut  in  a  moment  what  has  been 
called  the  "  Gordian  knot  of  theology."  We  may  well  rejoice  that  God 
is  sovereign  and  that  man  is  free.  J.  M.  P. 


42  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

cially  if  it  was  an  "  eterjial  decree,"  which  he  thought 
much  more  powerful  and  efficacious  than  any  other  kind. 
And  if  it  had  been  made  "  before  the  foundation  of  the 
world,"  it  must  be  much  belter  than  one  of  Later  date. 

He  was,  when  a  little  fellow,  very  fond  of  his  bow  and 
arrow,  and  by  practising  a  good  deal,  at  length  became 
so  expert,  as  now  and  then  to  kill  a  bird,  or  other  small 
game. 

On  one  occasion,  being  about  to  shoot  at  a  dove,  he  felt 
a  good  deal  of  compunction,  the  bird  appearing  so  inno- 
cent and  unconscious  of  its  danger.  He  finally  concluded 
that  all  these  things  had  been  settled  long  ago,  even  down 
to  the  death  of  a  sparrow,  and  that  he  had  nothing  to  do 
with  them  whatever.  All  he  had  to  do  was  to  shoot,  and 
if  the  bird's  time  had  come,  he  should  kill  it ;  if  not,  he 
should  miss  it,  just  as  it  had  been  decreed,  and  he  not  to 
blame  one  way  or  the  other.  Had  he  but  known  it,  he 
was  now  on  the  confines  of  one  of  the  darkest  and  most 
perplexing  subjects  that  ever  "  confounded  the  wisdom  of 
the  wise,"  namely,  the  foreknowledge  of  the  Deity,  and 
man's  accountability.  I  am  not  certain  how  it  fared  with 
the  bird,  but  rather  think  it  escaped  unhurt. 

These  anecdotes  are  curious  as  showing  on  what  sub- 
jects his  thoughts  sometimes  ran,  even  when  quite  a  small 
boy. 

Nothing  would  afford  me  more  pleasure  than  to  be  able 
to  present  your  grandfather,  in  his  boyhood  and  youth,  as 
a  model  to  others,  but,  as  a  faithful  chronicler,  I  fear  I 
cannot  do  this ;  I  fear  I  cannot  class  him  even  among  what 
are  commonly  called  good  boys. 

There  is  reason  to  believe  that  at  this  time  he  had  a 
very  decided  will  of  his  own,  which,  as  a  rule,  he  was 


HIS   EDUCATION.  43 

pretty  much  bent  on  following,  regardless,  too  often,  of 
where  it  might  lead  him.  His  parents  thought  dancing 
very  sinful  (at  least  such  as  they  then  had),  and  did  all 
they  could  to  keep  him  from  engaging  in  it.  But  he  was 
so  fond  of  this  amusement,  that  he  would  often  leave  home 
at  night,  when  they  were  asleep,  and  go  to  disreputable 
frolics  of  this  kind,  without  duly  considering  the  distress 
it  would  cause  them  should  they  ever  come  to  know  it. 

Once,  when  behaving  very  badly,  his  mother  called  him 
to  her  and  said  to  him,  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  "  Reuben, 
you  are  my  youngest  son  and  my  youngest  child  but  one, 
and  my  heart's  desire  is  to  love  you  dearly ;  but  you  are 
so  bad,  I  cannot  do  it;  it  seems  impossible."*  These  words, 
and  her  manner  while  saying  them,  made  a  deep  impres- 
sion on  his  mind,  and  long  after  she  was  sleeping  in  her 
silent  grave  they  would  seem,  at  times,  to  be  sounding  in 
his  ears. 

Thus  will  thoughtless  children,  by  their  perverse  and 
wayward  conduct,  often  entail  upon  themselves  sorrows 
and  regrets  for  the  coming  years,  as  perhaps  many  of  us 
know  but  too  well. 

*  If  Reuben  Ross  was  a  "  ba'l  boy,"  let  not  parents  who  have  way- 
ward sons  despair  of  their  conversion  to  God.  Almighty  grace  can  do 
great  things,  and  under  its  influence  the  hardest  heart  is  subdued. 

J.  M.  P. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ANECDOTES  OF  EAELY  YEARS. 

YoUE  grandfather  remembered  quite  a  number  of  amus- 
ing anecdotes  which  he  had  heard  when  young,  and  would 
sometimes  relate  some  of  them  when  speaking  of  his  early- 
life.  He  told  them  well.  One  could  see  that  he  greatly 
enjoyed  the  wit  and  comic  humor  they  contained.  I  pro- 
pose relating  two  or  three  of  these  before  proceeding  fur- 
ther with  ovir  narrative. 

One  of  these  related  to  an  old  Englishman,  who  had 
somehow  found  his  way  to  the  region  of  country  where 
your  grandfather  lived.  He  was  of  dissipated  habits,  but 
light-hearted  and  frolicsome  as  a  boy.  His  only  business 
was  to  travel  around  the  country  and  teach  school  for  a 
livelihood.  His  rule  was  to  teach  a  few  months  at  one 
place,  collect  the  little  sums  when  due,  and  then,  with  a 
set  of  lively  fellows  frolic  around  till  all  was  spent ;  then 
to  take  up  another  school  and  go  to  work  again.  Nothing 
could  induce  him  to  teach  longer  than  a  few  months  at 
one' place.  His  scholars  considered  him  a  prodigy  of  learn- 
ing. He  could  tell  how  many  barley-corns,  placed  one  at 
the  end  of  another,  it  would  take  to  reach  round  the 
world,  and  how  many  seconds  of  time  were  contained  in 
any  given  number  of  years.  But  what  astonished  them 
most  of  all  was  the  marvellous  beauty  of  his  penmanship. 
This,  to  them,  seemed  little  less  than  supernatural.  Be- 
44 


ANECDOTES  OF  EARLY  YEARS.  45 

sides  these  accomplishments,  he  knew  a  great  deal  about 
ghosts,  witches,  apparitions,  and  haunted  places.  The 
boys  took  great  delight  in  gathering  around  and  hearing 
him  tell  of  these  wonderful  things.  On  one  occasion,  a 
youth,  a  boy  of  the  larger  class,  who  wished  to  see  his 
i'uture  wife,  told  the  old  man  he  had  heard  that  people 
sometimes  had  been  permitted  to  see  the  images  of  their 
future  wives,  and  that  nothing  in  the  world  would  delight 
him  so  much  as  to  be  able  to  see  his.  To  this  the  school- 
master replied  that  nothing  in  hi^  country  was  more  com- 
mon than  this ;  that  he  knew  exactly  how  it  was  done, 
and  if  he  really  desired  to  see  his  future  wife,  and  would 
meet  him  at  a  certain  time  at  the  schoolhouse,  exactly  at 
midnight,  he  should  be  gratified  by  seeing  her  face  to  face. 
The  young  man  thanked  him  again  and  again  for  his  kind- 
ness, and  promised  to  be  there  punctually  to  the  time,  if 
his  life  was  spared.  Here  all  the  other  boys  began  to  beg 
that  they  might  be  permitted  to  attend  also.  This  was 
readily  granted,  and  everything  settled  to  the  satisfaction 
of  all  parties.  At  the  appointed  time,  punctual  to  the 
hour,  not  only  the  school-boys,  but  every  vagabond  and 
reprobate  in  the  country  was  there,  with  torches  and  can- 
dles sufficient  to  illuminate  the  old  house  brilliantly.  A 
rude  curtain  having  been  drawn  across  the  room,  the  old 
man  took  his  seat  before  it.  Just  at  the  bleak  hour  of 
midnight  he  rose  from  his  seat,  uttered  some  strange,  bad- 
sounding  words  in  an  unknown  tongue,  took  his  seat  again 
and  waited  motionless  a  few  minutes.  Then  he  rose  again, 
and  said  in  sepulchral  voice,  "  She  has  come ;  she  stands 
behind  that  curtain  !"  The  crowd  now  began  to  show  un- 
mistakable signs  of  uneasiness,  to  look  over  their  shoul- 
ders towards  the  door,  and  many  to  wish  themselves  safe 

3* 


46  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

at  home.  Soon  the  curtain  began  slowly  to  rise,  and  the 
lower  part  of  a  long  white  female  dress  to  appear.  Here 
terror  could  be  seen  depicted  on  every  countenance.  But 
when  the  curtain  rose  still  higher,  and  the  face  of  a  pale, 
death-like  female  *  form  stood  before  them,  one  wild  shriek 
arose,  followed  by  a  rush  to  the  door,  through  which  the 
terror-stricken  multitude  swept,  one  over  another,  in  mor- 
tal terror.  Neither  the  dark  night,  the  dismal  swamp, 
briars  nor  thorns  were  heeded  until,  breathless  and  half- 
naked,  they  reached  their  homes  and  buried  their  heads 
in  their  bedclothes. 

When  the  rest  made  a  rush  for  the  door,  the  poor  fellow 
who  wanted  to  see  his  sweetheart  so  badly,  sprang  to  the 
schoolmaster,  caught  him  around  the  neck,  and  said :  "Lay 
her,  master,  lay  her !  for  God's  sake,  lay  her !  Oh,  I 
wouldn't  see  her  again  for  a  thousand  worlds !" 

This  frolic  broke  up  the  old  man's  school ;  though  for 
this  he  cared  but  little,  and  would  have  given  up  a  dozen 
schools,  at  any  time,  for  another  like  it.  The  beauty  of 
his  penmanship  alone,  whenever  he  wanted  one,  would 
give  him  a  school.  The  old  schoolhouse  had  a  bad  name 
after  this,  and  people  seldom  went  near  it  afterwards,  espe- 
cially when  alone. 

THE    PIONEER   SETTLER. 

At  the  period  of  what  is  called  Braddock's  war,  an  old 
pioneer  settler  lived  among  the  mountains  of  Virginia.  It 
was  a  time  of  trouble  and  danger.  The  French  and  Indi- 
ans held  in  strong  force  Fort  Du  Quesne,  situated  where 
Pittsburg  now  stands.     From  this  place  the  savages  were 

*  A  boy  had  been  dressed  up  for  this  purpose. 


ANECDOTES  OF  EARLY  YEARS.  47 

supplied  with  the  arms  and  ammunition  which  they  used 
in  carrying  on  hostilities  against  the  frontier  settlers  of 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia. 

As  but  little  human  aid  was  to  be  expected  at  that  time, 
the  old  man,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  became  very  devout, 
and  prayed  earnestly,  night  and  morning,  for  the  protec- 
tion of  Heaven  for  himself  and  family,  in  a  prayer  he  had 
prepared  to  suit  the  times,  and  which  it  required  the  best 
part  of  an  hour  to  repeat.  It  so  happened  that,  just  about 
the  middle  of  this  prayer,  he  invariably  implored  the  Al- 
mighty to  crown  the  efforts  of  Braddock  and  the  colonies 
with  victory,  and  to  overwhelm  the  French  and  Indians 
with  defeat  and  ruin.  His  two  sons.  Bill  and  Tom,  find- 
ing it  too  much  for  human  nature  to  keep  awake  during 
this  long  prayer,  repeated  almost  word  for  word,  night  and 
morning,  and  observing  also  that  Braddock  always  came 
in  just  at  the  middle  of  it,  conceived  the  idea  of  turning 
this  circumstance  to  advantage  by  dividing  the  tijne  equally, 
and  settled  it  between  them  that  Bill  should  always  go  to 
sleep  at  the  beginning  of  the  prayer,  and  Bob  keep  awake 
until  the  old  man  "  prayed  up  to  Braddock,"  then  to  give 
Bill  a  nudge  and  awaken  him,  and  go  to  sleep  himself. 
Bill  would  then  be  awake,  ready  to  stir  up  Bob  in  time, 
so  that  all  could  rise  together.  This  arrangement  gave 
each  a  good  half-hour  of  much-needed  sleep,  and  no  one 
the  worse  for  it.  On  trial,  the  thing  worked  beautifully, 
and  went  on  like  clock-work  for  some  time ;  but  alas  !  one 
unlucky  morning  Bob,  instead  of  keeping  watch  as  he  ought 
to  have  done,  went  fast  to  sleep  too.  The  old  man,  having 
finished  his  prayer,  rose  to  his  feet,  and  on  looking  round 
saw  the  two  poor  fellows  on  their  knees  asleep.  Bill  having 
been  awakened  just  enough  by  the  rising  of  the  others  to 


48  ELDER   EEUBEN    ROSS. 

ask  Bob,  in  a  drowsy  whisper,  if  the  old  man  hadn't  got 
to  Braddock  yet.  Eyeing  them  a  moment,  he  reached  up, 
took  down  his  cane,  and  gave  each  a  rap  on  the  shoulder. 
Supposing  they  were  attacked  by  the  Indians,  they  "raised 
a  murder  shout"  and  sprang  to  their  feet.  Waiting  till 
they  became  a  little  composed,  he  opened  his  mind  freely 
to  them,  saying  that  he  considered  them  little  better  than 
two  uncircumcised  Philistines ;  that  he  had  been  praying 
for  them  the  best  part  of  an  hour,  and  they  fast  asleep  all 
the  time,  dreaming  of  Braddock.  They  were  very  much 
afraid  of  Indians,  he  perceived ;  but  there  was  something 
worse  than  Indians,  he  would  have  them  to  know ;  and  if 
they  went  on  as  they  were  then  doing,  they  would  find  it 
out  in  the  end,  to  their  cost. 

I  always  suspected,  from  your  grandfather's  manner  of 
telling  this  story,  that  he  khew  by  experience,  to  some 
extent,  how  Bob  and  Bill  felt  when  they  were  thus  caught 
napping. 

JACK    HUNTER   AND    THE   CATS. 

The  hero  of  the  next  story  was  a  young  fellow,  as  I 
think,  named  Jack  Hunter,  and,  as  reported,  was  young, 
gay,  handsome,  very  rich,  and  well  educated.  It  was  even 
said  he  knew  Latin ;  for  when  invited  to  join  in  a  frolic, 
he  used  to  say,  "  Semper  paratus,"  which  he  told  the  boys 
meant  always  ready.  He  properly  belonged  to  the  very 
highest  class  of  society,  but  somehow  took  a  downward 
course,  and  landed  in  the  lowest.  It  was  said  he  had 
prettier  sweethearts  and  more  of  them  than  any  other 
young  fellow  in  all  the  country. 

Court  da_y,  in  Williamston,  was  a  kind  of  jubilee  for  all 


ANECDOTES  OF  EARLY  YEARS.  49 

the  idle  fellows  around.  The  piny-woods  boys  especially 
were  then  out  in  great  force,  drinking  rum,  beer,  and  cider 
and  eating  oysters,  gingerbread,  etc., — mostly  at  the  ex- 
pense of  Jack,  who  was  as  liberal  as  a  prince.  This  would 
continue  till  late  in  the  day,  when  the  whole  crowd  would 
become  so  happy  as  to  forget  entirely  that  there  was  any 
such  thing  as  care  or  trouble  in  the  world. 

It  so  happened  that  Jack  once,  on  the  night  previous  to 
a  court  day  at  Williamston,  staid  at  Washington,  the 
county  town  of  Beaufort,  situated  about  twenty-five  miles 
distant.  On  his  way  home  the  next  day  to  join  his  party, 
being  a  great  way,  he  studied  up  a  plan  to  have  some  fun 
when  he  joined  them;  and  pretty  late  in  the  evening, 
when  they  were  enjoying  themselves  to  their  hearts'  con- 
tent, and  only  unhappy  on  account  of  his  absence,  he  was 
seen  coming  down  the  long  street,  on  his  fine  horse,  at  a 
full  gallop.  He  was  soon  in  their  midst,  and  pulled  up  his 
horse.  All  gathered  round,  shook  hands  with  him,  and 
after  chiding  him  gently  for  having  been  absent  so  long, 
asked  for  the  news.  He  told  them  that  the  news  he 
brought  was  highly  important,  and  at  the  same  time  very 
wonderful :  that  just  before  he  left  Washington,  a  ship 
had  sailed  into  the  harbor  and  cast  anchor.  That  the 
news  she  brought  was  that  a  strange  and  fatal  disease  of 
some  kind  had  broken  out  among  the  cats  in  England, 
and  that  the  last  one  of  them  in  the  United  Kingdom  was 
dead,  and  the  Norway  rats  were  about  to  ruin  the  coun- 
try, and  added  that  the  King  of  England  had  sent  this 
ship  over  to  Carolina,  to  buy  up  every  cat  she  could  spare, 
regardless  of  price ;  and  he  advised  them  to  hurry  home  as 
fast  as  possible,  catch  all  the  cats  they  could  lay  their 
hands  on,  and  carry  them  to  the  ship. 


50  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

This  news  had  the  effect  to  sober  every  one  of  them 
instantly.  All  hurried  home  without  delay,  never  ex- 
pecting to  have  such  another  opportunity  to  fill  their 
pockets  with  gold.  The  dear  old  court-house  in  a  few 
moments  was  deserted,  and  looked  as  lonely  as  a  country 
meeting-house  on  a  week  day. 

The  next  morning,  bright  and  early,  vehicles  of  every 
kind  were  seen  pouring  into  Washington  loaded  with  cats. 
The  citizens  in  amazement  inquired  of  the  owners  what 
they  were  bringing  cats  to  town  for.  They  replied  :  "  For 
the  ship."  "For  what  ship?"  "For  the  ship  the  king 
of  England  has  sent  over  for  cats."  "  "Who  told  you  there 
was  any  ship  here,  or  that  the  king  of  England  wanted 
cats  ?"  "  Jack  Hunter."  All  was  now  explained.  No- 
thing more  was  necessary.  The  golden  vision  vanished. 
The  poor  fellows  turned  round  and  started  for  home,  dis- 
appointed and  angry.  Jack  thought  it  prudent  to  keep 
out  of  the  way  for  several  days.  But  all  was  soon  for- 
given and  forgotten.  They  loved  him  dearly,  and  could 
not  think  of  breaking  with  him. 

Such  were  some  of  the  stories  your  grandfather  used  to 
hear  when  young,  and  would  sometimes  repeat,  long  after- 
wards, when  something  brought  them  to  his  remembrance. 


CHAPTER  V. 

niS   MARRIAGE — THE   YARRELL    FAMILY. 

Until  the  twenty-second  year  of  his  age,  your  grand- 
father seems  to  have  passed  his  time  in  assisting  his  father 
on  the  farm,  fishing,  hunting,  and  amusing  himself  with 
his  young  associates,  unfortunately  without  any  books  to 
read  suitable  to  his  age  and  taste,  everything  of  the  kind 
being  scarce  and  dear  in  those  early  times. 

Had  this  been  otherwise,  he  might,  during  these  invalu- 
able years,  have  stored  his  mind  with  an  amount  of  gen- 
eral information  that  would  have  been  of  priceless  value 
to  him  in  time  to  come.  For  such  was  the  character  of 
his  mind,  that  there  is  no  doubt  whatever,  had  valuable 
books  been  in  his  reach,  he  would  have  read  them  with 
great  pleasure  and  profit. 

It  so  happened  that  about  this  time  he  became  ac- 
quainted with  your  grandmother,  then  about  sixteen  years 
of  age.  I  have  heard  that  he  first  met  her  unexpectedly, 
as  she  and  some  other  girls  were  out  enjoying  a  walk,  and 
that  she  was  at  the  time  dressed  in  white,  with  a  wreath 
or  chaplet  of  wild  flowers  on  her  head,  and  that  he  sur- 
rendered on  the  spot,  or,  as  the  young  folks  say,  "  fell  in 
love  at  first  sight."  He  seems  to  have  pressed  his  suit 
earnestly  and  with  gratifying  success,  for  they  were  mar- 
ried on  the  30th  of  September,  1798,  a  few  months  only 

51 


52  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

after  becoming  acquainted.     It  is  said  he  was  then  a  very- 
handsome  and  prepossessing  young  man. 

I  have  heard,  also,  that  she  was  very  pretty  at  that 
time,  and  you  who  remember  her  late  in  life  can  well 
believe  it.  Your  grandfather  always  thought  her  a  great 
beauty,  and  was  as  proud  of  her  good  looks  as  we  children 
were.  He,  as  you  may  remember,  thought  himself  quite 
a  judge  of  female  beauty.  Her  form,  features,  and  fine 
presence,  as  I  remember  them  in  my  childhood,  are  so 
impressed  on  my  memory,  that  were  I  a  painter  or  sculp- 
tor I  could  reproduce  them  with  great  accuracy.  But  the 
beauty  of  her  life  and  character  remain  still  more  deeply 
impressed  on  my  memory,  and  I  think  I  may  say  with  the 
great  Scottish  poet : 

"  Time  but  the  impression  deepei-  makes, 
As  streams  their  channels  deeper  wear." 

Her  maiden  name  was  Yarrell, — Milly  or  Mildred  Yar- 
rell.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Matthew  Yarrell.  He  was 
born  and  brought  up  in  Halifax  County,  North  Carolina, 
but  finally  settled  in  Martin  County,  where  he  was  living 
at  the  time  of  her  marriage.  He  was  an  orphan  child, 
brought  up  by  an  old  uncle  named  Day,  who,  during  his 
nephew's  minority,  took  good  care  of  his  property,  which 
was  considered  a  fine  estate  for  the  times  when  he  came 
into  possession  of  it.  But,  taking  to  politics,  high  living, 
and  speculation,  Mr.  Yarrell  had  but  little  of  it  left  when 
his  daughter  was  married.  I  have  often  heard  it  said  that, 
when  he  was  in  his  prime,  he  was  uncommonly  handsome, 
and,  as  I  remember  him  in  old  age,  his  features  were  very 
fine. 

The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Mary  Wheatly.     She 


HIS   MARRIAGE.  63 

was  related  to  the  Wheatlys  of  Montgomery  County,  Tenn. 
Dr.  James  Whcatly,  one  of  the  first  citizens  of  the  county, 
and  his  brother  Albert,  you  may  perhaps  remember. 
Grandfather  Yarrell  removed  to  Tennessee  several  years 
after  she  did,  in  order  to  be  near  his  daughter,  to  whom 
he  was  greatly  attached,  and  he  lived  with  us  most  of  the 
time  until  his  death,  in  1829,  in  the  seventy-sixth  year  of 
his  age.  He  had  been  a  widower  several  years  when  your 
grandmother  was  married. 

He  had  a  proud  and  independent  spirit,  and  disdained 
the  thought  of  living  on  others  after  having  lost  his  own 
property.  In  order  to  avoid  this,  being  naturally  handy 
with  tools,  he  took  up,  in  his  old  age,  the  business  of  trunk- 
making.  These  he  covered  with  deer  skins,  which  he 
bought  of  the  hunters,  some  nearly  red,  some  bluish,  and 
some  spotted,  being  the  skins  of  fawns.  These,  when 
finished  off  by  him,  were  quite  pretty,  and  highly  prized 
by  his  customers,  the  girls  and  young  ladies  of  his  ac- 
quaintance, to  keep  their  nice  things  in,  and  such  articles 
of  apparel  as  they  did  not  choose  to  hang  up  about  their 
rooms.  For  bureaus,  presses,  and  wardrobes  were  not 
often  seen  in  those  days.  This  business  afforded  him  the 
means  of  supplying  all  his  wants,  and  enabled  him  to  keep 
a  good  horse  to  ride,  which  was  always  a  great  pet  with 
him. 

He  had  been  brought  up  in  the  Episcopal  Church,  and 
for  this  he  had  great  respect,  but  very  little  for  any  other. 
In  fact,  he  considered  all  others  very  much  as  heretics. 
He  placed  a  very  low  estimate  on  the  preachers  of  other 
denominations,  and  used  to  say  your  grandpa  could  preach 
very  well,  it  was  true,  but  that  he  had  no  more  right  to 
do  so  than  he  had,  as  he  had  never  been  ordained  by  those 


54  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

authorized  to  confer  ordinations.  He  kept  his  prayer-book 
by  him,  and  generally  read  the  lessons  for  the  day  him- 
self, or  got  some  of  his  grandchildren  to  read  them  for 
him. 

He  read  his  Bible  a  good  deal  on  Sundays,  giving  the 
Psalms  of  David  the  preference.  I  am  sorry  to  say  those 
passages  in  which  the  Psalmist  uttered  heavy  imprecations 
on  his  enemies  seemed  to  have  a  particular  attraction  for 
him.  I  fear  he  often  included  his  own  enemies  with  Da- 
vid's, and  rather  wished  them  to  have  the  same  portion. 
His  enemies  were  those  who  had  betrayed  his  confidence 
and  swindled  him  out  of  his  property.  He  seems  to  have 
been  one  of  those  who,  when  young,  consider  all  men  fair 
and  honest,  and  only  find  out  to  the  contrary  when  too 
late. 

There  were  some  new-fangled  notions,  as  he  called  them, 
which  he  especially  abhorred.  He  believed  the  sun,  liter- 
ally, rose  and  set  every  day.  That  the  earth  was  placed 
exactly  in  the  centre  of  the  universe,  and  that  it  was  the 
business  of  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars  to  revolve  around  it 
every  twenty-four  hours  to  give  it  light  and  heat  and 
beauty. 

The  changing  of  the  Christmas  and  the  style  from  the 
old  to  new  he  thought  was  a  special  enormity,  sliowing 
the  degeneracy  of  later  times  and  the  little  reverence  men 
felt  for  the  past  and  the  traditions  of  the  fathers.  I  men- 
tion these  things  to  give  you  some  idea  of  the  thoughts 
and  feelings  of  many  old  men  as  late  even  as  the  beginning 
of  the  present  century. 

In  all  his  dealings  with  men  he  was  scrupulously  just 
and  honorable.  In  his  last  illness,  he  sent  for  me  and  told 
me  he  had  a  number  of  small  outstandino;  debts  which  he 


HIS   MARRIAGE.  00 

wished  me  to  settle  for  him,  as  he  did  not  think  he  liad 
long  to  live,  and  wanted  no  one  to  have  any  reason  to 
complain  of  him  after  ho  was  gone.  He  told  me  at  the 
same  time  where  I  would  find  a  canvass  bag  containing  a 
sum  of  silver  money,  which  he  wanted  me  to  use  for  that 
purpose.  Taking  the  money,  with  a  list  of  the  names  of 
his  creditors,  most  of  whom  were  living  in  Clarksville, 
I  paid  them  all  off  and  brought  in  his  receipts.  He  seemed 
to  think  I  had  done  him  a  great  favor,  and  thanked  me 
again  and  again.  His  mind  now  being  easy,  he  fell  into  a 
state  of  unconsciousness,  and  soon  after  breathed  his  last. 

He  sleeps  at  Cedar  Hill,  your  grandfather's  residence, 
in  Montgomery  County,  Tenn.,  near  the  grave  of  the 
daughter  he  loved  so  well,  and  who  ministered  to  him  to 
the  last.  For  a  number  of  years  he  and  I  were  much 
together,  and  I  have  for  his  memory  an  affectionate  ven- 
eration. 

One  circumstance  during  his  last  illness  deserves  notice. 
Until  then  he  never  manifested  any  particular  attachment 
for  your  grandfather,  but  now  it  was  quite  different.  He 
often  spoke  of  him  as  his  "dear  friend,"  and  seemed  pleased 
to  have  him  sit  near  him  at  the  bedside. 

Your  grandmother  had  two  brothers,  Thomas  and  Gar- 
rard, and  likewise  two  sisters,  Eosa  and  Mary,  more  fre- 
quently called  Polly. 

Her  brother  Thomas  married  and  raised  a  large  family, 
and  continued  to  reside  in  the  old  State  till  1834,  when 
he  went  out  to  Alabama,  intending  to  purchase  a  farm 
and  remain  there.  But  while  attending  to  this  business, 
he  fell  sick  and  died.  Several  of  his  children  had  pre- 
viously settled  in  Alabama.  Her  brother  Garrard  followed 
the  sea  till  late  in  life.     When  a  little  boy  he  was  appren- 


56  ELDER    REUBEN   ROSS. 

ticed  to  the  captain  of  a  merchant  ship,  and  he  remained 
till  he  became  thoroughly  acquainted  with  his  business  as 
a  sailor,  rose  steadily  in  his  profession,  and  finally  became 
sole  owner  of  a  fine  merchant  ship,  which  he  named  "  The 
Live  Oak." 

When  war  was  declared  between  the  United  States  and 
Great  Britain,  in  June,  1812,  he  and  his  ship  were  in  the 
Gulf  of  Riga,  in  the  north  of  Europe.  When  the  news 
reached  him,  he  attempted  to  return  home,  but  was  cap- 
tured by  an  English  man  of  war  and  was  carried  into 
Leith,  near  Edinburgh,  Scotland.  Here  he  was  detained 
a  prisoner  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  and  his  ves- 
sel were  released ;  after  which,  he  returned  to  the  United 
States  with  his  wife  whom  he  had  married  in  Scotland. 

While  on  another  voyage,  some  time  later,  he  was  cap- 
tured by  French  cruisers,  acting  under  Bonaparte's  infa- 
mous "Berlin  and  Milan  Decrees";  his  ship  and  cargo 
were  confiscated  and  he  thrown  into  prison.  He  was  now 
ruined,  having  only  his  papers  left.  These  would  have 
entitled  him  to  an  indemnity  sufiicient  for  the  support  of 
himself  and  family ;  but  on  his  way  home  with  these  pa- 
pers, just  as  he  came  in  sight  of  land,  the  vessel  caught 
fire  and  everything  on  board  was  burnt  up,  the  crew  and 
passengers  only  escaping  with  their  lives.  After  this,  he 
remained  in  Carolina  until  about  the  year  1834,  and  then 
removed  with  his  family  to  Tennessee,  and  lived  here  until 
his  death  in  1838.  He  was  a  very  able  seaman,  as  I  have 
learned,  and  an  upright  and  excellent  man.  The  early 
part  of  his  life  was  unusually  bright  and  promising ;  the 
latter  darkened  by  the  cloud  of  adversity. 

Her  sister  Eosa  married  and  came  to  Tennessee  when 
we  did,  raised  a  large  family,  and  died  a  few  years  ago. 


HIS   MARRIAGE.  0/ 

Her  sister  Polly  was  twice  married,  and  was  living  near 
Fort  Donelson  daring  the  civil  war,  was  ruined  thereby, 
and  died  in  its  vicinity.  Thus  this  melancholy  record 
closes.  Knowing  the  desire  most  people  feel  to  know 
something  of  the  history  and  fortunes  of  their  families, 
I  give  you  this  brief  sketch  at  the  risk  of  appearing 
tedious. 

We  may  now  return  to  your  grandfather.  That  he 
might  be  near  his  aged  parents  in  their  declining  years, 
he  built  a  house  on  the  tract  of  land  upon  which  they  lived, 
and  which  was  to  be  his  at  their  death.  This  house  wa.s 
built  of  pine  and  cypress  timber,  and  I  have  often  heard 
your  grandmother,  when  speaking  of  her  early  housekeep- 
ing, tell  how  sweet  and  pleasant  the  rooms  were  when  new, 
being  perfumed  by  the  fragrant  wood  of  which  they  were 
built.  I  infer  from  what  I  have  heard  her  and  your 
grandfather  say,  that  the  few  years  they  lived  in  this  house 
.were  among  the  happiest  of  their  lives.  They  were  both 
young,  both  hopeful,  and  both  in  happy  ignorance  of  the 
long  and  weary  journey  that  lay  before  them.  Here  the 
little  twins,  Nancy  and  Polly,  the  first-born  and  pride  of 
the  family,  first  saw  the  light,  and  here,  too,  I  was  born 
September  3,  1801. 

While  living  here,  your  grandmother  made  a  profession 
of  religion  and  joined  the  Baptist  Church,  The  name  of 
the  church  of  which  she  became  a  member  was  Skewarkey. 
It  belonged  to  what  was  then,  and  still  is,  called  the  Ke- 
hli-kee  Baptist  Association.  These  were  Indian  names, 
and  both  accented,  as  I  think,  on  the  second  syllable. 
Many  places  in  that  region  of  country  still  retain  the 
names  given  them  by  the  Indians. 

This  old  church  I  remember  well,  though  I  was  very 


58  ELDER  REUBEN    ROSS. 

young.  It  stood  iu  a  grove  of  lofty  pines,  among  whose 
tops,  when  a  gentle  breeze  was  passmg,  a  low  and  melan- 
choly sound  was  heard.  The  Carolina  negroes  used  to  say 
it  was  the  moaning  of  unhappy  spirits,  and  it  always  pro- 
duced in  me  a  superstitious  awe  on  that  account. 

At  this  church  I  rather  distinguished  myself  on  one 
occasion.  I  was  standing  by  my  mother  during  the 
preaching,  and  observing  that  many  of  the  old  brethren 
were  frequently  saying  "Amen,"  I  concluded  I  would  do 
so  too,  and  to  the  great  astonishment  of  everybody  present, 
cried  out  "Amen"  nearly  at  the  top  of  my  voice.  This, 
coming  from  a  chap  so  tiny  as  I  was  at  two  years  of  age, 
sounded  very  strange,  and  attracted  a  good  deal  of  atten- 
tion. Your  grandmother  gave  me  a  shake,  and  told  mo, 
in  a  whisper,  not  to  say  another  word.  I  was  so  pleased, 
however,  with  the  sensation  first  produced,  that  I  could 
not  resist  the  temptation  to  try  it  again,  and,  after  a  while, 
repeated  the  "Amen"  still  louder  than  before.  This  was 
too  bad,  quite  a  commotion  was  caused,  many  so  f;ir  forgot 
themselves  as  to  laugh  out,  and  the  preacher  made  a  slight 
pause  in  his  discourse.  At  this  your  grandmother  became 
quite  confused,  rose  from  her  seat,  led  me  out  under  the 
pines,  and  told  me  I  had  behaved  very  badly,  that  little 
boys  did  not  know  when  to  say  "Amen,"  and  ought  not 
to  think  of  doing  such  a  thing,  adding  that  she  was 
ashamed  of  w^hat  I  had  done  and  did  not  love  me  a  bit. 
She  did  not  venture  to  take  me  back  into  the  church 
again,  but  kept  me  out  under  the  trees  till  preaching  was 
over.  It  was  long  ere  I  heard  the  last  of  this  perform- 
ance. 

Now  you  must  know,  my  dear  Marion,  that  it  is  one  of 
the  greatest  pleasures  of  an  old  man  to  think  and  speak  of 


HIS   MARRIAGE.  59 

himself  when  young.  One  can  hardly  understand  why  this 
is  so,  for  many  of  his  stories  are  generally  poor  enough. 
I  suppose,  though,  it  is  because  they  bring  back  to  his 
memory  his  young  and  happy  days,  when  all  before  him 
looked  bright  and  hopeful,  and  behind  were  no  dark 
shadows  of  sorrow  and  regret. 

A  very  kind  friend,  in  a  letter  dated  Williamston,  N.  C, 
March  8th,  1872,  in  answer  to  one  addressed  to  him  pre- 
vious to  that  date,  says : 

"The  Skewarkey  Meeting  House,  that  your  mother  used  to  take  you 
to,  wa^s  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  from  Williamston,  on  the  road  lead- 
ing to  Washington,  in  a  southeasterly  direction.  The  present  house  is 
about  one-fourth  of  a  mile  nearer  town.  It  was  built  a  few  j-ears  before 
the  war,  and  is  in  a  piny  grove  beautiful  to  look  upon,  with  seven  acres 
of  land  and  a  burying  ground  attached.  Number  of  members  belonging 
to  the  church  about  eightj'. 

"  Your  recollection  of  Williamston  is  correct.  It  is  the  same  little 
town  yet,  with  one  long  main  street  leading  down  to  the  Roanoke  River. 
The  fishing  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  became  unprofitable,  and 
has  not  been  used  for  many  years.  There  are  valuable  fisheries,  how- 
ever, lower  down  on  the  river,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Jamesvill"  (which 
used  to  be  called  Jameston^  and  Plymouth.  We  have  a  great  deal  of 
steamboating  on  the  river  now,  extending  to  Norfolk  and  Baltimore." 

I  hardly  need  say  I  was  much  gratified  to  learn  from 
this  letter  that  my  early  recollections  were  so  correct,  as 
described  in  the  beginning  of  this  book. 

The  same  friend  in  another  letter  says : 

"  I  profess  to  be  a  Baptist  minister,  and  belong  to  the  Skewarkey 
Church,  near  this  place,  which  church  is  a  member  of  the  Kehukee 
A-ssociation,  of  which  Association  I  have  acted  as  Moderator  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  *  *  *  I  knew  your  father  well  and  loved  him  dearly. 
Your  uncle  .Tames  I  was  also  well  acquainted  with,  and  had  a  high 
regard  for  him.  With  your  uncle  Martin  I  had  no  acquaintance.  He 
was,  no  doubt,  a  very  able  minister,  and  was  the  first  one,  perhaps,  to 
introduce  a  resolution  favorable  to  mi.'ssions  in  the  Kehukee  Association. 


60  ELDER    REUBEN   ROSS. 

He  and  his  brothers  were  all  members  of  the  Kehukee  Association,  1 
presume,  before  the  Chowan  Association  was  formed  out  of  it.  The 
Chowan  is  by  far  the  largest  Association  in  N.  C,  I  expect." 

These  extracts  are  interesting  to  us, — first,  as  showing 
the  estimation  in  which  your  grandfather's  memory  is  still 
held  by  his  old  Carolina  brethren;  and  secondly,  as  show- 
ing that  the  old  Kehukee  Association,  to  which  he  first 
belonged,  has  passed  through  precisely  the  same  ordeal  the 
Red  River  Association  did  in  this  country;  viz.,  that  on 
account  of  difference  in  doctrinal  views,  a  separation  took 
place  among  them,  and  that  the  Chowan  Association  was 
formed  out  of  the  Kehukee  as  the  Bethel  was  formed  out 
of  the  Red  River  Association. 

The  Carolina  Baptists  of  that  region  seem  ever  to  have 
felt  a  lively  interest  in  their  Tennessee  brethren.  And  as 
far  back  as  1810,  when  the  Red  River  Association  held 
one  of  its  sessions  at  our  old  Spring  Creek  Church,  the 
Kehukee  Association  sent  a  letter  of  correspondence  and 
kindly  greetings  to  them  from  distant  Carolina,  as  may  be 
seen  from  the  published  minutes  of  that  session  now  in  my 
possession. 

All  denominations,  indeed,  feel  a  strong  attachment  for 
their  organizations.  The  very  name  of  Baptist,  Methodist, 
and  others  strikes  a  chord  in  the  hearts  of  the  brotherhood 
that  seems  to  vibrate  whenever  touched.  And  no  other 
words  fall  more  pleasantly  on  the  ear  than  these.  It 
awakens  in  the  mind  the  memory  of  the  great  and  good 
who  have  lived  and  died  in  their  communion,  with  all  their 
eventful  history.  This  feeling  of  love  and  veneration  for 
the  religion  and  the  church  of  their  fathers  is  often  very 
strong  even  with  those  who  make  little  or  no  pretension 
to  religion  themselves. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

HIS   CONVERSION. 

We  now  approach  the  most  important  event  in  the  life 
of  your  grandfather, — his  conversion ;  but  before  giving 
you  an  account  of  it,  as  I  have  heard  him  relate  it,  I  pro- 
pose making  a  few  general  remarks  on  the  subject. 

Nothing  seems  to  be  more  clearly  taught  in  the  sacred 
writings,  than  the  fact  that  man,  in  his  natural  state,  is 
not  in  harmony  with  his  Creator;  that  he  is  not  disposed 
to  love  and  serve  him  as  he  ought.  And  of  this,  I  sup- 
pose, no  candid  individual,  who  has  ever  reflected,  has  any 
doubt.  He  has  the  "  witness  within  himself"  that  all  is 
not  right  in  that  direction ;  and  as  regards  others,  his  own 
observation  and  the  melancholy  history  of  the  race  in  all 
ages  of  the  world  afford  ample  proof  that  this  is  true. 
This  indisposition  to  love  and  serve  his  Creator  as  he 
ought  must  therefore  be  removed  before  he  can  enjoy  the 
divine  favor  and  blessing;  just  as  the  perverse  and  rebel- 
lious disposition  of  a  child  must  be  removed  or  changed 
before  he  can  be  received  into  the  favor  of  an  earthly 
parent.  And  this  change  of  heart  in  man  from  a  sinful, 
wicked,  and  rebellious  disposition  or  state  to  one  of  love, 
reverence,  and  obedience  to  his  Heavenly  Father  is  what, 
in  the  figurative  language  of  the  Bible,  is  meant  by  being 
converted,  regenerated,  or  born  again,  and  is  beyond  all 
comparison  the  most  important  event  in  human  life,  since 
4  61 


62  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

on  it  depends  heaven  and  eternal  happiness  beyond  the 

grave.* 

For  when  through  the  new  creating  power  of  the  Holy- 
Spirit,  the  love  of  that  which  is  holy  and  good  is  im- 
planted in  the  soul ;  when  this  indisposition  to  love, 
serve,  and  reverence  the  Creator  is  removed ;  when  that 
golden  link  which  was  broken  and  lost  in  the  Garden  of 
Eden  is  found  and  restored,  man  emerges  from  the  ruins  of 
the  Fall,  and  is  again  in  harmony  with  his  Creator,  the 
Fountain  of  all  that  is  holy,  pure,  and  good.  And  since  this 
change  in  man  is  an  absolute  neces'«ity  before  reconcilia- 
tion and  pardon  can  be  obtained,  it  is  not  strange  that  it 
was  said  to  Nicodemus,  "  Marvel  not  that  I  said  unto  thee, 
ye  must  be  born  again."  There  is  indeed  nothing  mar- 
vellous in  this,  since  in  the  very  nature  of  things,  the 
spirit,  which  after  death  returns  to  the  God  that  gave  it, 
cannot  be  happy  in  his  presence,  unless  it  has  come  to 
love  and  reverence  him;  for  as  all  know,  nothing  is  more 
intolerable  than  to  be  confined  to  the  society  of  those  for 
whom  one  entertains  feeling's  of  dislike  and  aversion. 

This  disposition  to  love  and  serve  the  Creator,  to  walk 
in  "  all  his  commandments  and  ordinances  blameless," 
constitutes  the  very  soul  and  essence  of  religion, — a  word 
of  beautiful  and  interesting  signification,  meaning  that 
which  re-unites  or  binds  again  what  has  been  broken  or 
severed.      With  this  disposition  to  love  and  serve  God, 

*  The  critical  theologian  may  object  that  the  biographer  identifies 
conversion  and  regeneration.  In  popular  style  this  is  often  done,  and 
no  evil  results  ;  though  the  two  terms  are  not  identical  in  import.  This, 
however,  is  not  the  place  to  point  out  the  difference,  only  so  far  as  to 
say  that  regeneration  gives  the  disposition  to  turn  to  God,  while  conver- 
sion is  the  actual  turning.  J.  M.  P. 


HIS   CONVERSION.  63 

and  to  trust  in  Christ  as  his  only  Saviour,  and  to  become 
his  humble  follower,  one  is  a  Christian.  Without  it  all 
else  avails  nothing,  so  far  as  salvation  is  concerned.  Riches, 
power,  glory,  and  honor  are  as  dust  and  ashes.  With  it 
the  beggar  becomes  a  king  and  priest  of-  the  Most  High. 

Although  all  men,  before  conversion,  are  indisposed  to 
love  and  serve  the  Creator,  this  indisposition  seems  to  be 
much  more  fixed  and  obstinate  in  some  than  in  others. 
In  some,  the  remembrance  of  the  goodness  of  God  and  the 
gentler  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit  lead  them  to  repent- 
ance. Like  some  beautiful  plants,  their  religious  life  seems, 
as  it  were,  to  grow  up  almost  spontaneously,  bud,  bloom, 
and  bear  its  golden  fruits.  Happy  these  beyond  the  com- 
mon lot !  But  the  conversions  effected  thus,  with  less 
emotion,  are  no  less  necessary  on  that  account. 

Others  are  more  manifestly  and  stubbornly  indisposed, 
as  already  stated,  to  love  and  fear  God  and  keep  his  com- 
mandments. They  wander  far  away  into  the  paths  of  sin 
and  folly.  The  still  small  voice  of  conscience  is  seldom 
heard  or  heeded.  Their  eyes  do  not  perceive  the  perils 
by  which  they  are  surrounded,  until  they  are  awakened 
by  some  sudden  or  unexpected  event  of  an  alarming  char- 
acter, and  see  themselves  standing,  as  it  were,  on  the  brink 
of  a  fearful  abyss,  from  which  they  recoil  with  alarm  and 
terror. 

Something  like  this  seems  to  have  been  the  case  of  your 
grandfather.  He  never  doubted,  as  he  would  say,  the 
divine  origin  of  the  Bible,  or  the  great  truths  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  or  undervalued  their  importance.  But  he 
had  come  to  look  upon  it  as  something  solemn  and  gloomy, 
and  better  suited  to  persons  in  the  declining  years  of  life, 
intended  chiefly  to  solace  those  who  were  no  longer  able 
to  enjoy  the  gayeties  and  pleasures  of  this  world. 


64  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

After  your  grandmother  made  a  profession  of  religion 
and  became  a  member  of  the  church,  he  came  to  look 
upon  religion  with  a  kind  of  aversion,  as  something  in  his 
way,  interfering  with  his  enjoyments,  as  already  stated. 
Under  the  influence  of  these  feelings  he  would  dismiss  it 
almost  wholly  from  his  thoughts. 

Thus  matters  stood  when  he  and  a  number  of  his  gay 
companions  got  together  on  a  certain  occasion  and,  to  use 
his  own  expression,  "  spent  a  Sabbath  evening  very  wick- 
edly." I  do  not  remember  ever  to  have  heard  him  say  in 
what  this  wickedness  consisted.  When  he  came  to  reflect 
upon  it,  how'ever,  his  mind  was  ill  at  ease.  While  in  this 
unpleasant  state  of  feeling,  he  heard  that  one  of  the  gayest 
of  their  party  had  been  taken  ill  and  died  suddenly.  This 
seems  to  have  moved  him  to  a  degree  hardly  to  have  been 
expected  in  one  of  his  age  and  exceptional  firmness  of 
character.  It  had  the  effect  to  change,  almost  at  once,  the 
whole  course  and  current  of  his  life.  The  thunderbolt 
said  to  have  struck  down  the  young  Alexius  at  his  father's 
side  does  not  seem  to  have  produced  a  more  deep  and  last- 
ing effect  upon  the  great  Reformer,  than  did  this  sudden 
death  of  his  young  friend  on  your  grandfather.  The  un- 
certainty of  life,  the  certainty  of  death,  and  after  death 
the  judgment,  and  the  danger  of  procrastination  were 
most  painfully  realized  by  him.  He  trembled,  when  he 
thought  of  his  young  friend  cut  down  in  the  flower  of  his 
days,  all  unprepared  as  he  was  for  the  solemn  change. 
Oppressed  with  these  thoughts,  on  his  knees  he  implored 
God,  in  his  mercy,  to  spare  his  life  for  repentance  and 
reformation,  and  to  save  his  soul  from  death  and  ruin. 

To  add  to  his  unhappiness,  the  effects  of  his  early  teach- 
ing were  now  painfully  felt  by  him.     He  feared  at  one 


niS  CONVERSION.  65 

time  he  was  one  of  the  non-elect.*  Then  he  feared  tliat 
he  had  committed  the  unpardonable  sin,  whatever  that 
might  be.  Then  again  he  was  afraid  that  his  day  of  grace 
was  passed  and  gone  forever.  The  remembrance  of  his 
thoughtless  and  sinful  life  lay  heavy  on  his  conscience ; 
and  so  little  did  he  know  of  the  Bible,  that  in  this  hour 
of  trouble  he  could  derive  no  consolation  from  the  blessed 
promises  it  contains  for  those  in  trouble  on  account  of 
their  sins.  Had  he  known  these,  how  they  might  have 
cheered  him  in  this  dark  hour !  This  unhappy  state  of 
mind  was  of  long  continuance,  during  which  he  in  prayer 
earnestly  sought  the  forgiveness  of  his  sins  and  the  salva- 
tion of  his  soul. 

At  length,  having  retired  to  a  lonely  place  for  self-exami- 
nation and  prayer,  he  became  conscious  of  a  great  change 
that  had  taken  place  in  him,  in  many  respects.  He  could 
now  hardly  recognize  himself  as  being  the  same  individ- 
ual as  before.  The  ways  of  sin  no  longer  seemed  pleas- 
ing and  attractive.  To  be  a  Christian  was  now  his  greatest 
desire.  For  all  whom  he  regarded  as  followers  of  Christ 
he  felt  esteem  and  love.  His  soul  overflowed  with  love 
and  gratitude  to  God,  at  the  remembrance  of  his  goodness 
and  mercy  in  not  having  long  since  cut  hira  down  in  his 
sins  as  a  cumberer  of  the  ground ;  and  finally  his  heart 
felt  submissive  and  penitent,  rather  than  hard  and  rebel- 
lious. It  now  began  to  dawn  upon  him  that  he  had  expe- 
rienced that  change  which  in  the  Bible  is  denominated 

*•  There  is  nothing  more  useless  than  a  sinner's  anxiety  on  the  subject 
of  election.  It  is  a  matter  with  which  he  has  nothing  to  do.  His  busi- 
ness is  to  repent  of  his  sins  ami  believe  on  the  Lord  Je.sus  Christ.  Then 
he  will  know  of  his  election,  and  can  appropriate  all  the  comfort  arising 
from  the  doctrine. 


GG  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

being  born  again.  This  produced  a  degree  of  happiness 
and  joy  that  was  new  and  strange  to  him.  And  in  conclu- 
sion he  would  say,  the  time  when  and  the  place  where  this 
occurred,  he  thought  would  be  amono;  the  last  thinsTS  that 
would  fade  from  his  remembrance  at  the  close  of  life. 

I  have  thus  given,  almost  in  his  own  words,  your  grand- 
flither's  account  of  his  conversion ;  for  I  had  many  oppor- 
tunities, when  young,  of  hearing  him  speak  of  it. 

It  was  not  unusual  in  those  days,  when  several  of  the 
older  brethren  and  sisters  would  spend  an  evening  to- 
gether, for  them  to  devote  a  part  of  the  time  in  giving  an 
account  of  their  conversion,  or  relating  their  experiences, 
as  they  commonly  expressed  it ;  and  on  these  occasions  he 
would  speak  of  his,  also,  if  requested  to  do  so.  On  these 
occasions  I  was  always  present,  if  possible,  listened  with 
profound  attention  to  all  that  was  said,  and  heartily  re- 
joiced as  one  after  another  was  relieved  of  his  burden. 
This  was  generally  a  happy  time  with  these  Christians  ; 
their  brotherly  love  would  seem  to  increase,  and  their 
faith  and  hope  grow  bright  and  strong  when  thus  com- 
muning with  each  other.  Their  joys  and  sorrows,  hopes 
and  fears,  on  account  of  their  striking  resemblance,  seemed 
to  unite  them  in  closer  bonds  of  love  and  sympathy. 

Many  of  these  recitals,  as  I  remember  them,  were  very 
interesting,  and  were  often  expressed  in  simple,  unaffected 
language.  They  would  generally  begin  by  referring  to 
some  circumstance  or  incident  that  first  turned  their 
thoughts  to  the  subject  of  religion ;  such  as  the  death  of 
a  beloved  friend  or  relative,  a  danoierous  illness  that  had 
brought  them  near  the  gates  of  death,  an  impressive  dis- 
course from  the  pulpit,  or  perhaps  some  nameless  sorrow 
that  had  turned  their  thoughts  away  to  another  and  a 


HIS   CONVERSION.  0/ 

better  world.  Sometimes  they  would  refer  to  a  state  of 
feeling  that  seemed  like  a  solemn  warning  to  prepare  for 
death,  for  which  no  especial  cause  could  be  assigned. 

The  change  in  your  grandfather,  consequent  upon  his 
conversion,  was  very  remarkable,  and  seems  to  have  been, 
to  some  extent,  both  mental  and  physical.  The  gay  and 
lively  expression  of  countenance  for  which  he  seems  to 
have  been  noted  in  his  youth  and  early  manhood,  now  dis- 
appeared, and  was  replaced  by  that  grave  and  solemn  ex- 
pression which  followed  him  through  life,  and  which  is 
still  remembered  by  all  who  ever  knew  him.  The  solemr^ 
views  he  came  now  to  entertain  of  life  and  death,  time 
and  eternity,  endless  joy  and  endless  woe,  seemed  to  have 
left  their  shadows  on  his  mind  and  features.  And  what 
I  regard  as  very  singular  is  that,  though  his  grave  and 
solemn  presence  was  felt  by  all,  it  was  repulsive  to  none. 
Even  little  children  liked  to  be  near  him.  His  pastoral 
visits  among  his  brethren  and  their  families  were  highly 
prized  by  all,  children  and  servants  included,  and  were 
long  remembered  by  them.  An  elderly  lady,  while  speak- 
ing of  him  to  me,  said  that  nothing  she  remembered  during 
her  childhood  ever  delighted  her  so  much  as  his  visits  to 
her  father ;  and  that  when  he  wuuld  call  her  to  him,  let 
her  stand  by  him,  lay  his  hand  upon  her  liead,  and  talk 
to  her,  her  happiness  was  greater  than  her  words  can  ex- 
press. 

But  the  power  of  his  presence  was  never  so  much  seen 
or  felt  as  when  he  rose  in  the  pulpit  to  address  an  audi- 
ence. Instantly  it  would  pervade  the  whole  assembly,  and 
the  hum  of  voices  be  no  longer  heard.  The  greetings  of 
neighbors  and  friends  and  the  conversation  so  agreeable 
and  pleasant  to  them  on  meeting  would  be  at  once  arrested, 


68  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

and  all  become  still  and  silent  listeners.  No  one  seemed 
disposed  to  break  the  spell  that  was  felt  by  all.  I  doubt 
if  any  one  ever  heard  him  administer  reproof  fi'om  the 
pulpit.  If  any  slight  disturbance  arose,  a  short  pause  or 
a  look  was  suflScient  to  restore  order.  This  power  was 
felt  likewise  in  later  years,  when  acting  as  chairman  or 
moderator  over  large  deliberative  bodies  in  associations  or 
conventions, — a  service  which,  as  we  shall  see,  fell  often  to 
his  lot. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

BEGINS   TO    PREACH   AND    REMOVES   TO   THE    WEST. 

After  his  conversion,  your  grandfather  thinking  it  his 
duty  to  make  a  public  profession  of  religion,  and  to  be- 
come a  member  of  the  church,  repaired  to  the  old  meet- 
ing-house and  related  his  experience.  When  the  brethren 
heard  this  they  pronounced  it  in  their  judgment  a  genuine 
work  of  grace,  congratulated  him  on  having  "  found  the 
pearl  of  great  price,"  and  bade  him  God-speed,  on  his 
heavenly  journey. 

Soon  after  this,  in  the  twenty-sixth  year  of  his  age,  he 
was  baptized  by  Elder  Luke  Ward,  then  pastor  of  the  old 
Skewarkey  Church.  Of  this  church  your  grandmother 
was  already  a  member.  This  was  a  day  of  special  rejoic- 
ing with  her.  Soon  after  his  baptism  he  began  to  feel  a 
great  desire  to  persuade  others  to  come  to  Christ  also ; 
that  they  might  enjoy  the  promises  of  the  gospel,  and 
escape  the  fearful  consequences  of  dying  in  their  sins. 
At  times  this  desire  became  very  great,  so  much  so,  that 
he  often  felt  as  though  he  would  have  been  willing  to  rise 
from  his  bed  at  night  and  go  among  his  friends,  in  order 
to  persuade  them  to  forsake  their  sins,  and  warn  them  to 
flee  from  the  wrath  that  was  to  come  upon  all  those  who 
obey  not  the  gospel.  I  have  heard  him  say,  that  this  desire 
for  the  salvation  of  others  was  not,  at  first,  accompanied 
by  a  sense  of  duty,  but  was  simply  a  restless  anxiety  for 

4*  69 


70  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

their  welfare  and  happiness  after  death.  At  length,  how- 
ever, a  sense  of  duty  was  superadded ;  and  with  it  an 
abiding  impression,  that  he  would  not  be  held  guiltless  if 
he  did  not  endeavor  to  perform  this  duty,  Tliis  weighed 
heavily  on  his  mind,  especially  when  taken  in  connection 
with  the  absence  of  all  the  qualifications,  as  he  thought, 
for  speaking  acceptably  in  public.  Could  it  bo  the  duty, 
he  would  say  to  himself,  of  one  under  these  circumstances 
to  appear  as  an  ambassador  for  Christ,  to  pray  men  as  in 
Christ's  stead  to  become  reconciled  to  God  !  There  must 
be  some  mistake ;  this  could  not  be.  Such  were  his  re- 
flections. 

After  he  had  been  perplexed  and  oppressed  some  time, 
with  these  thoughts  and  impressions,  he  took  occasion  to 
make  known  the  state  of  his  mind  to  some  of  the  breth- 
ren. These  encouraged  him  to  make  the  attempt,  and  he 
soon  after  obtained  from  his  church  a  license  to  speak  to 
the  people  on  the  subject  of  religion  whenever  he  might 
feel  disposed  to  do  so.  I  doubt  not  the  church  granted 
this  license  the  more  readily,  because  he  had  two  brothers 
who  were  already  distinguished  Baptist  preachers,  and 
they  were  the  more  hopeful  of  him,  perhaps  thinking 
there  might  be  some  natural  aptitude  in  the  family  for 
public  speaking,  which  is  often  the  case.  The  names  of 
these  brothers  were  Martin  and  James  Ross.  The  for- 
mer, born  in  1762,  and  living  in  Perquimons  County, 
North  Carolina,  on  the  north  side  of  Albemarle  Sound, 
near  the  town  of  Edenton ;  the  latter  born  in  1769,  and 
living  in  Bertie  County,  higher  up  the  Roanoke  River. 

I  have  heard  your  grandfather  say,  that  his  brother 
Martin  was  a  preacher  of  ability  and  influence  among  the 
Carolina  Baptists ;  clear,  argumentative,  and  impressive 


BEGINS  TO  PREACH  AND  REMOVES  TO  THE  WEST.        71 

as  a  speaker,  and  more  dignified  and  polished  in  Lis  man- 
ners than  was  common  in  those  days ;  and  possessed  of 
more  learning  and  general  information  than  any  other 
member  of  his  family.  His  brother  James  was  considered 
less  able  in  the  pulpit  than  his  brother  Martin,  but,  never- 
theless, he  was  popular  and  influential  as  a  preacher.  He 
was  of  a  cheerful  and  lively  disposition,  greatly  beloved 
by  all  who  knew  him,  and  especially  so  by  the  young  and 
happy,  many  of  whom  were  brought  into  the  church  un- 
der his  ministry.  I  have  often  heard  your  grandmother 
si)oak  of  him  as  one  she  loved  and  esteemed  very  highly, 
on  account  of  his  pleasant  manner  and  affectionate  dis- 
position. 

It  would  afiford  me  much  pleasure  to  give  you  some 
particulars  or  incidents  connected  with  your  grandfather's 
early  ministry,  but  I  know  little  to  relate  on  this  subject. 
He  used  to  say,  that  his  first  efforts  seemed  to  him  so  im- 
perfect, that  he  generally  felt  relieved  when  at  a  distance 
from  those  whom  he  had  first  addressed.  There  is  reason 
to  believe,  however,  that  the  people,  from  the  first,  listened 
with  much  interest  to  what  he  said.  I  remember,  almost 
as  far  back  as  my  recollection  reaches,  his  asking  me  one 
day  if  I  did  not  want  to  ride  with  him  to  meeting.  Of 
course,  I  was  very  ready  for  the  ride.  I  was  then  so 
small  that  he  had  to  keep  one  hand  behind  him  a  good 
deal  of  the  time  to  prevent  my  falling  from  the  horse. 
On  reaching  the  place,  which  was,  I  think,  a  private  resi- 
dence, there  was  quite  a  number  of  people  present.  On 
going  into  the  house,  I  saw  on  one  side  of  a  large  room 
a  table,  and  a  chair  placed  near  it.  When  the  people 
came  in  and  filled  the  room,  to  my  astonishment,  he  took 
the  place  by  the  table,  sung  a  hymn,  prayed,  and  com- 


72  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

menced  preaching.  I  wa=5  greatly  astonished,  for  I  had 
never  heard  him  preach  before,  or  even  knew  that  he  was 
a  preacher  at  all.  All  seemed  to  pay  the  greatest  atten- 
tion, and  there  was  at  one  time  much  feeling  manifested 
by  the  audience.  This  must  have  been  very  soon  after  he 
commenced  preaching,  and  from  the  number  of  people 
present  he  must  have  been  able  even  then  to  fix  the  atten  • 
tion  of  his  hearers  on  what  he  was  saying. 

No  incident  of  my  childhood  is  more  distinctly  remem- 
bered than  this.  What  surprised  me  beyond  measure 
was  the  number  of  bad  words,  as  I  considered  then,  your 
grandfather  used  on  that  occasion.  In  order  to  make 
us  children  avoid  everything  resembling  irreverence 
or  proflxnity,  my  two  sisters  and  I  were  taught  to  substi- 
tute other  words  for  many  in  common  use.  Instead  of 
saying  God,  we  were  taught  to  say  "  the  Good  Man ;"  in- 
stead of  devil,  "the  bad  man;"  instead  of  heaven,  "the 
good  place;"  instead  of  hell,  "the  bad  place,"  or  "the 
fiery  place."  I  felt  very  much  scandalized  at  hearing  him 
use  these  bad  words  so  freely,  but  got  on  after  a  ftishion, 
though  sorely  puzzled,  until  I  hoard  him  use  the  awful 
word  "damnation!"  Then  I  thought  he  had  ruined  him- 
self and  gave  it  up  completely.  I  could  -think  of  no  ex- 
cuse to  make  for  him  after  that. 

Many  of  the  preachers  of  those  times,  and  long  after- 
wards, often  spoke  and  acted  as  if  they  believed  that  what 
they  should  say  would  be  given  them  at  the  proper  time; 
after  entering  the  pulpit  they  would  often  say  they  had 
no  idea,  even  then,  what  their  text  would  be,  but  did  not 
doubt  that  a  subject  would  be  presented  to  them  in  due 
time,  thus  intimating  that  their  thoughts  were  directly 
under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  well  as  those  of 


BEGINS  TO  PREACH  AND  REMOVES  TO  THE  WEST.        73 

the  inspired  apostles  of  old.  No  sucli  delusion  as  this, 
however,  ever  entered  your  grandfather's  mind.  However 
hopeful  that  what  he  might  say  would  prove  a  blessing 
to  those  who  hcanl  it,  like  seed  sown  in  good  ground,  he 
thought  it  necessary  to  use  the  greatest  diligence  before- 
hand in  preparing  something  if  possible  that  would  in- 
terest and  benefit  his  hearers. 

There  is  little  doubt  that  most  of  his  preparation,  then 
and  afterwards,  was  made  while  on  horseback,  especially 
after  he  became  more  fully  engaged  in  the  work  of  the 
ministry.  When  this  country  was  thinly  settled,  his  rides 
from  one  appointment  to  another  were  often  long  and 
solitary.  This  was  favorable  to  deep  thought  and  reflec- 
tion on  what  he  intended  to  say  when  he  met  his  audience. 
A  friend  once  told  me  that  he  had  heard  him  say  that  so 
distinct  and  clear  would  his  discourse,  when  thus  pre- 
pared, appear  to  his  mind's  eye,  that  it  resembled  an 
edifice,  sharply  defined  in  a  clear  atmosphere,  exact  in  all 
its  parts  and  proportions. 

It  was  not  until  he  entered  upon  the  ministry  that  he 
became  aware  of  the  importance  of  learning  and  general 
information,  and  of  the  priceless  value  of  the  time  he  had 
wasted  when  young.  The  great  events,  recorded  in  his- 
tory, the  rise  and  fall  of  kingdoms  and  empires,  the 
vicissitudes  and  sorrows  of  the  human  race,  were  things 
of  which  he  had  hardly  heard.  The  great  achievements 
of  the  human  mind  in  science,  art,  and  literature  were 
almost  wholly  unknown  to  him.  Had  he  been  questioned 
of  Egypt  and  the  Red  Sea,  Horeb,  Sinai,  and  Palestine, 
the  land  of  miracles  and  wonders,  or  of  the  distant  Jordan, 
he  could  hardly  have  told  whether  they  lay  beneath  the 
rising  or  the  setting  sun.     All  these  things,  besides  the 


74 


ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 


groat  truths  revealed  in  the  Bible,  must  now  be  learned, 
if  learned  at  all,  arnid  the  cares  of  a  busy  life.  But  his 
resolution  was  fixed  and  unalterable  to  do  what  he  could 
to  promote  the  salvation  of  his  fellow-men. 

At  the  death  of  his  parents  he  came  into  possession  of 
the  farm  on  which  he  had  been  brought  up.  He  now 
found  it  hard  to  decide  what  was  best  to  be  done.  There 
were  two  duties,  as  he  thought,  pressing  on  him  at  the 
same  time — the  one,  to  provide  for  his  family  ;  the  other, 
to  preach  the  gospel ;  and  these  seemed  to  conflict  one 
with  the  other. 

There  are  few  sadder  pictures  to  contemplate  than  that 
of  a  lonely  wife,  neglected  children,  and  a  cheerless  home ; 
and  he  knew  it  had  fallen  to  the  lot  of  few  to  look  upon 
that  picture  oftener  than  those  who,  with  small  means  of 
their  own,  and  unaided  by  their  brethren,  had  thought  it 
their  duty  to  preach  the  gospel.  The  Calvinistic  Baptists 
of  those  days,  and  even  later,  doubted  the  propriety  of 
paying  their  ministers  for  preaching,  fearing  it  would  in- 
duce some  to  follow  that  as  a  calling  who  had  never  been 
called  and  sent  for  that  purpose ;  and  many  of  their  honest 
and  conscientious  ministers  had  grave  doubts  themselves 
on  the  subject.  The  consequence  was  that  many  of  them 
were  very  poor  and  their  children  sadly  neglected,  giving 
rise  to  the  belief  with  many  that  the  worst  boys  of  the 
neighborhood  were  the  sons  of  the  preacher. 

Hoping  to  avoid  this,  after  much  reflection,  he  con- 
cluded to  sell  his  farm  and  stock,  and  invest  the  proceeds 
in  merchandise,  and  commence  selling  goods  in  Wil- 
liamston,  thinking  that  the  profits  from  this  business 
would  enable  him  to  support  his  family,  and  give  him 
more  time  to  devote  to  preaching,  which  he  had  so  much 


BEGINS  TO  PREACH  AND  REMOVES  TO  THE  WEST.        75 

at  heart.  Accordingly,  a  sale  was  effected,  a  lot  pur- 
chased, a  dwelling,  store-house,  and  other  necessary  build- 
ings erected,  a  partner  found,  and  business  commenced. 

He  soon  discovered,  however,  that  he  had  made  a  sad 
mistake !  His  partner  Itiiled  to  supply  his  part  of  the 
capital,  owing  to  some  unexpected  disappointment.  This, 
together  with  the  unforeseen  cost  of  preparing  for  busi- 
ness, left  him  but  a  small  capital  to  carry  it  on  with,  and 
it  soon  became  apparent  that  he  must  fail.  He  now  de- 
termined to  sell  out  and  pay  off  all  his  debts  before  it  w<is 
too  late.  He  found  he  had  not  done  this  a  day  too  soon ; 
for  when  they  were  all  paid  off  a  few  hundred  dollars  only 
were  left  him  to  begin  the  world  anew. 

His  situation  had  now  become  not  only  perplexing,  but 
alarming  even ;  and  for  a  time  he  almost  lost  sight  of  the 
other  great  object  of  his  life  so  dear  to  him.  I  doubt  if 
he  ever  told  any  one  except  your  grandmother,  how  much 
he  suffered  mentally  at  that  time.  It  was  a  rule  with 
him  never  to  burden  others  with  his  troubles  and  per- 
plexities, but  to  keep  them  very  much  to  himself;  and 
this  course  added  dignity  to  his  character,  as  it  always 
will.  Nor  were  his  fears  and  anxieties  groundless,  as  is 
often  the  case ;  for  before  we  bring  the  narrative  to  a 
close,  it  will  be  found  that  many  trying  scenes  awaited 
him  in  the  coming  years,  to  test  him  both  as  a  man  and 
as  a  Christian. 

About  this  time  glowing  accounts  were  in  circulation, 
of  a  beautiful  and  fertile  region,  lying  far  away  towards 
the  setting  sun,  beyond  the  blue  mountains  of  his  native 
state.  Cumberland  was  the  name  given  to  this  goodly 
land  by  the  early  explorers.  It  included  what  is  now 
known  as  Middle  Tennessee,  and  that  portion  of  Ken- 
tucky lying  north  of  the  Green  River  of  that  state. 


76  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

This  region,  when  first  seen  by  the  white  man,  seems 
to  have  justified  all  that  has  been  said  or  written  in  its 
praise.  When  Boone,  Finley,  Clark,  Robertson,  Sevier, 
Donelson  and  others  first  beheld  it  from  the  western  slopes 
of  the  Cumberland  Mountains,  they  were  enchanted  with 
its  beauty.  Its  wooded  hills,  crystal  streams,  vast  forests 
and  flower-enameled  plains  seem  to  have  possessed  more 
than  Arcadian  attraction  and  beauty  ere  the  deadly  strife 
for  its  possession  between  the  white  man  and  the  savage 
began.  It  was  the  most  magnificent  park  the  world  had 
ever  seen,  abounding  in  game,  where  a  few  hunters  have 
killed  more  than  a  hundred  fat  bears,  seventy-five  or 
eighty  bufFalos,  and  as  many  deer  in  a  few  days  only.* 
It  was  truly  the  hunters'  paradise.  It  was  considered  by 
the  Indians  exclusively  as  a  common  hunting  and  battle- 
ground, and  from  the  banks  of  the  Tennessee  to  the  Ohio, 
not  an  Indian  village,  or  wigwam,  was  to  be  seen  in  it. 

At  first  these  accounts  were  considered  somewhat 
doubtful,  and  the  people  hesitated ;  but  when  in  process 
of  time  they  were  confirmed,  an  exodus  from  Virginia 
and  the  Carolinas  commenced.  Your  grandfather  now 
being  broken  up,  with  but  little  inducement  to  remain 
longer  where  he  then  was,  and  hoping  to  find  a  home  for 
himself  and  family  in  this  new  country,  decided  promptly 
to  remove  to  it,  and  see  what  fortune  might  have  in  store 
for  him  in  what  was  then  considered  the  "Far  West." 

When  the  brethren  of  the  old  Skewarkey  Church  heard 
this  they  said,  "  He  must,  at  once,  be  set  apart  and  or- 
dained to  preach  the  gospel,  that  he  may  be  qualified  to 
build  up  churches  and  administer  the  ordinances  in  the 

*  Sea  Putnam's  History  of  Middle  Tennessee. 


BEGINS  TO  PREACH  AND  REMOVES  TO  THE  WEST.         77 

land  whither  he  is  about  to  journey."  Accordingly,  early 
in  the  year  1807,  he  was  ordained  as  a  minister  of  the 
gospel,  by  Elders  Joseph  Biggs,  Luke  "Ward,  and  his 
brother  James  Ross.  Elder  Ward,  it  will  be  remembered, 
had  baptized  both  him  and  your  grandmother. 

The  6th  of  May,  1807,  was  set  for  the  commencement 
of  the  journey,  on  which  day  all  were  to  meet  at  a  desei'ted 
Episcopal  Church,  in  a  pine  forest  a  few  miles  west  of 
Williamston,  and  there  pi  tch  their  tents  for  the  first  time. 
Several  other  families  had  concluded  to  emigrate  with  us. 
Among  these  was  that  of  our  uncle,  Charles  Cherry,  the 
husband  of  your  grandmother's  sister  Rosa. 

Before  setting  out,  however,  on  our  distant  journey,  I 
will  relate  some  of  the  scenes  and  incidents  that  I  still 
remember  during  our  sojourn  in  the"  little  town  where  we 
had  lived  before  our  removal. 


CHAPTER  VIIL 

REMINISCENCES   OF    EARLY   DAYS. 

While  the  emigrants  are  preparing  for  the  journey,  I 
will  relate  some  of  my  childish  recollections  during  the 
time  we  were  living  in  Williamston.  Among  the  earliest 
of  these  was  the  interest  everybody  seemed  to  take  in 
the  little  twins, — your  aunts  Polly  and  Nannie.  Ladies 
making  their  purchases  at  the  store,  before  leaving,  would 
often  call  on  your  grandmother,  and  ask  to  see  them.  They 
were  two  bright  little  specimens,  faultless  in  form  and 
features,  and  almost  exactly  alike  in  every  respect.  When 
on  exhibition,  they  generally  stood  side  by  side  with  their 
little  hands  before  them,  one  in  the  other,  in  an  easy 
attitude,  free  from  all  embarrassment,  on  account  of  their 
familiarity  with  the  situation.  After  being  inspected, 
questioned,  praised,  and  dismissed,  they  would  again  run 
out  to  their  play. 

After  this,  these  ladies  would  sometimes  call  for  the 
baby,  and  I  would  then  be  brought  in.  They  would  often, 
when  this  was  done,  make  me  stand  by  them,  and  taking 
off  a  glove  put  their  pretty  white  fingers  in  my  hair,  which 
was  very  thick  and  curly,  and  turn  it  about  in  a  way  that 
was  very  pleasant.  One  of  them  once  said :  "  When  he  is 
grown  up,  his  hair  will  be  as  beautiful  as  Absalom's."  I 
did  not  know  then  that  Absalom  was  the  naughty  fellow 
who  wanted  to  kill  his  father  David  and  be  king  himself. 
78 


REMINISCENCES   OF   EARLY   DAYS.  79 

These  ladies,  I  think,  must  have  used  choice  perfumery 
of  some  kind  in  tiiose  days.  For,  when  standing  near 
them,  I  was  charmed  with  the  dehcate  aroma  which,  as  I 
thought,  exhaled  from  them  like  the  fragrance  from  flowers. 
And  from  this  association  of  ideas,  as  I  suppose,  it  seemed 
to  me  quite  as  proper  to  speak  of  a  sweet  lad}'  as  of  a  sweet 
flower. 

I  used  to  stay  in  the  store  a  good  deal  and  watch  the 
customers  coming  and  going,  and  hear  them  and  your 
grandfather  talk  about  the  goods  and  their  prices.  I 
would  likewise  often  take  my  seat  in  the  door  to  watch 
for  witches  as  they  passed  along  the  streets.  We  village 
urchins  could  tell  a  witch  as  far  as  we  could  see  one,  as 
we  thought.  When  they  came  to  town,  they  always  ap- 
peared in  the  form  of  little  old  women,  with  bright  scarlet 
cloaks  and  hoods  drawn  over  the  head  so  as  nearly  to 
conceal  the  face.  If  they  were  very  much  bent  with  age, 
and  shaking  a  little  with  palsy,  so  much  the  better.  They 
generally  supported  themselves  each  with  a  long  stafi', 
which  they  held  in  the  hand,  a  little  above  the  middle. 
Their  skin,  where  it  could  be  seen,  was  like  old  parchment ; 
their  eyes  black  and  restless.  They  came  to  town,  as  they 
said,  to  buy  a  little  tea,  chocolate,  tobacco,  or  snuff;  but 
this  was  all  a  pretext,  as  we  thought.  They  were  always, 
really,  bent  on  mischief  of  some  kind.  On  seeing  one  of 
these  approaching  us,  we  children  would  dart  like  so  many 
partridges  and  watch  them  from  around  the  corners.  He 
who  pointed  his  finger  at  one  of  them,  or  in  any  way  of- 
fended her,  was  a  doomed  boy !  Perhaps  in  less  than  a  week 
he  would  be  attacked  by  some  strange  disease  that  no 
doctor  in  the  world  could  cure.  These  were  the  terrible 
witches,  according  to  our  belief,  that  took  men  out  of  their 


80  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

beds  at  night  and  rode  them  to  the  places  where  they  held 
their  dances,  around  a  tree  that  had  been  struck  by  light- 
ning in  some  wild,  desolate  place.  Alas  !  that  these  poor 
old  women  should  have  had  so  bad  a  name. 

Old  women,  in  former  times,  used  to  have  their  thumbs 
tied  together  and  be  then  thrown  into  deep  water.  If 
they  sank  and  were  drowned,  they  were  considered  inno- 
cent. If  they  did  not  sink,  they  were  considered  guilty 
of  being  witches, — taken  out  and  burned.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  people  will  never  again  make  themselves  such  idiots 
as  they  then  were  about  witches. 

Another  cause  of  dread  and  fear  we  foolish  children  had 
was  the  Guinea  Negroes.  The  slave  trade  was  lawful  at 
that  time,  and  great  numbers  of  negroes  were  brought  from 
Africa  and  sold  to  the  Carolina  planters.  As  I  remember 
them,  they  were  generally  very  large  of  stature  and  per- 
fectly black.  When  first  brought  over,  they  could  not 
speak  a  word  that  any  one  could  understand  except  them- 
selves. Kich  men  in  and  near  Williamston  owned  great 
numbers  of  them. 

The  other  negroes,  who  had  been  longer  in  the  country 
and  considered  themselves  highly  civilized,  looked  on  these 
new-comers  not  only  with  scorn  and  contempt,  but  with 
intense  hatred  and  fear,  which  they  largely  instilled  into 
the  little  white  children  also.  Thoy  believed  them  closely 
leagued  with  the  Evil  One;  and  that,  when  they  chose  to 
do  so,  they  could  prepare  a  mixture  of  noxious  herbs,  roots, 
and  poisonous  reptiles,  and  lay  it  under  the  door-sill  of 
another  negro  against  whom  they  might  have  a  grudge, 
which  would,  sooner  or  later,  produce  death  unless  coun- 
teracted by  some  more  powerful  conjurer. 

Many  poor  negroes  in  good  health,  imagining  they  had 


REMINISCENCES   OF    EARLY    DAYS.  81 

been  thus  foully  dealt  by  or  tricked,  would  pine  away  and 
die  notwithstanding  all  that  could  be  done  for  them. 
Sometimes  they  would  make  up  a  poison  of  a  different 
kind  and  conceal  it  in  the  path  the  negro  they  hated 
passed  along  to  his  work,  and  if  he  happened  to  stop  over 
it  he  would  soon,  as  they  thought,  begin  to  feel  its  effects 
in  every  part  of  his  body,  and  gradually  grow  worse  and 
worse  as  the  poisonous  articles  decayed  more  and  more, 
and  just  as  decomposition  of  the  poison  took  place,  death 
would  ensue.  This  belief  brought  out  another  set  of  im- 
postors, who  professed  to  be  able  to  relieve  those  thus 
affected,  by  counteracting  remedies,  which  often  produced 
death  likewise.  Those  who  are  acquainted  with  the  ac- 
counts travellers  give  of  the  sad  condition  of  the  poor  negro 
in  his  native  land,  on  account  of  these  and  other  dark 
superstitions,  can  but  feel  pity  for  their  unhappy  lot. 

Very  often,  early  in  the  morning,  one  of  these  large 
black  Guinea  negroes  would  be  seen  going  along  the  street 
carrying  a  small  negro  child  on  his  back,  with  its  little 
black  woolly  head  sticking  out  from  the  blanket.  We 
white  children  were  told  by  the  other  negroes  that  these 
Africans  were  carrying  the  little  fellows  out  where  they 
were  at  work  to  eat  them  for  breakfast,  as  there  was 
nothing  in  the  world  they  liked  to  eat  so  well  as  a  fat 
baby.  I  can  remember  when  we  believed  this  implicitly, 
and  supposing  they  would  not  object  to  a  white  chap  if 
they  could  conveniently  pick  one  up,  we  generally  gave 
them  a  wide  berth,  as  you  may  well  suppose.  Your  grand- 
father, on  learning  how  we  were  exercised  on  this  subject, 
relieved  us  greatly  by  telling  us  it  was  all  false  from  be- 
ginning to  end ;  that  the  Guinea  negroes  were  really  very 
fond  of  their  little  children ;  and  that  their  masters,  when 


82  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

the  weather  was  fine,  would  often  permit  them  to  carry 
them  out  to  the  fields  where  they  Avere  at  work  and  set 
them  down  on  their  blankets  under  a  shade  tree,  so  as  to 
be  near  them. 

Most  of  my  recollections  of  those  times  are  pleasant. 
They  are  not  all  so,  however.  On  one  occasi9n  your 
grandfather  gave  me  a  piece  of  money  to  buy  a  knife  with. 
I  went,  accordingly,  into  a  store  and  made  the  purchase. 
Soon  afterwards,  having  lost  the  knife,  I  went  back  to  the 
store-keeper  and  told  him  as  I  had  lost  it,  I  thought  he 
ought  to  give  me  ray  money  back.  I  cannot  imagine  what 
put  a  notion  so  absurd  into  my  head.  I  soon  perceived 
I  had  made  myself  ridiculous.  Everybody  present  was 
laughing  at  my  expense.  Among  these  was  a  boy  I  very 
much  disliked.  I  now  became  very  angry  and  struck  him. 
We  then  had  a  long,  hard  fight,  a  crowd  of  boys  forming 
a  ring  around  us  as  is  usual  in  such  cases.  At  length  I 
became  completely  exhausted  and  could  fight  no  longer. 
The  boys  told  me  I  was  whipped  and  parted  us.  I  left  the 
crowd,  went  off  a  little  distance,  and  sat  down  very  dis- 
consolate. This  had  been  an  unlucky  day  for  me, — "dies 
notandus  carhone.'"'^  All  in  one  day  to  lose  my  knife,  my 
money,  get  a  whipping,  and  make  myself  ridiculous,  was 
too  bad. 

One  of  the  larger  boys,  however,  for  whom  we  all  had 
great  respect,  seeing  my  forlorn  condition,  came  to  me  and 
said  I  must  cheer  up, — adding  that  I  had  done  exactly 
right ;  every  man  ought  to  fight  when  insulted ;  being 
whipped  was  nothing;  he  had  been  whipped  twenty  times 
and  was  not  a  bit  the  worse  for  it;  I  had  fought  bravely; 
all  the  boys  said  so,  and  he  thought  a  great  deal  more  of 

*  A  day  to  be  noted  with  a  black  mark,  or  charcoal. 


REMINISCENCES  OF   EARLY   DAYS..  83 

me  than  he  did  before.  This  talk  comforted  me  wonder- 
fully and  all  my  trouble  soon  vanished.  It  is  true  my 
ribs  felt  sore  for  several  days,  but  I  cared  little  for  that. 

I  remember  the  story  of  a  boy  who  lived  in  Williamston 
at  this  time,  which  I  will  tell  you.  His  father,  who  was 
a  store-keeper,  invited  some  of  his  friends  one  day  into  his 
room  to  take  a  glass  of  toddy  with  him.  West  India  or 
Jamaica  rum  was  the  favorite  and  almost  universal  bever- 
age in  those  days.  These  gentlemen  took  their  glasses, — 
mixed,  stirred,  and  tasted;  then  dropped  in  another  lump 
or  two  of  sugar,  poured  in  a  little  more  water,  and  then  a 
little  more  of  something  else;  then  taking  up  something 
like  a  dear  little  baby's  shoe,  as  the  old  woman  said,  grated 
some  fragrant  nutmeg  over  the  compound ;  then  seated 
themselves,  and  sipped  and  talked  and  talked  and  sipped 
in  a  way  that  was  very  pleasant  to  see.  After  all  was 
disposed  of,  they  kept  their  seats  and  chatted  a  short  time, 
then  rose,  took  up  their  hats,  bade  each  other  adieu  in 
the  most  friendly  manner,  and  went  their  several  ways. 

Somehow  it  happened  that  the  boy  of  whom  I  am  speak- 
ing went  into  the  room  while  this  was  going  on.  Did  you 
ever  observe  how  apt  this  is  to  be  the  case  with  children  ? 
When  all  were  gone  this  naughty  boy,  seeing  everything 
ready  to  his  hand,  concluded  he  would  have  a  toddy  too, 
and  prepared  one  stiff  enough  probably  for  a  grown  man. 
After  drinking  this  off,  he  sat  down  in  his  chair  and  rested 
awhile.  Then  he  got  up  and  went  into  his  mother's  room. 
She  not  knowing  what  he  had  been  about,  told  him  to  go 
out  and  pick  up  some  chips  to  put  on  her  fire,  the  weather 
being  a  little  cool  at  the  time.  He  told  his  mother  he 
should  do  no  such  thing,  that  he  was  done  picking  up 
chips, — never  expected  to  pick  up  any  more,  that  she  knew 


84  .  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

where  the  wood-pile  was,  and  if  she  wanted  chips  she  could 
go  and  get  them  herself  or  send  some  one  else,  he  didn't 
care  which. 

His  mother,  who  had  never  heard  him  use  such  language 
to  her  before,  rose  from  her  seat  in  amazement.  Then, 
seeing  what  was  the  matter,  in  the  greatest  alarm,  threw 
her  arms  around  him,  exclaiming:  "My  poor  child,  my 
poor  child  !"  And  this,  as  I  have  heard,  was  about  the 
last  this  boy  remembered.  The  people  of  the  town,  wdio 
knew  from  experience  what  was  best  to  be  done  in  such 
cases,  were  called  in,  and  I  have  heard  it  said  that  for  a 
long  time  no  one  could  tell  certainly  whether  this  boy  was 
dead  or  alive,  so  near  did  he  come  to  death's  door.  It  is 
to  be  hoped  he  never  behaved  in  this  way  afterwards,  and 
that  others  wdio  read  this  story  will  take  warning. 

The  war  feelino;  born  of  the  Revolution  still  lins-ered  in 
Carolina  at  this  time,  to  some  extent.  Every  man  of  the 
military  age  was  enrolled,  and  companies  organized  in  all 
the  counties  were  required  to  muster  so  many  days  in 
every  year,  armed  and  equipped  as  the  law  directed.  The 
company  musters  were  called  petty  musters.  The  others 
were  styled  regimental  and  general  musters.  A  general 
muster  was  a  great  affair  with  us  boys.  Then  all  the 
different  companies  of  the  county  met  in  some  old  field 
near  town,  and  formed,  as  we  thought,  a  mighty  army. 
Early  in  the  day  the  boys,  white  and  black,  would  repair 
to  the  place  of  rendezvous  to  witness  the  arrival  of  the 
different  companies.  It  was  a  beautiful  sight  to  see  them 
coming  in  from  the  different  points  of  the  compass,  with 
their  guns  gleaming  brightly  in  the  sun,  the  officers  richly 
dressed  in  their  uniforms,  with  cocked  hats,  nodding  plumes, 
drums  beating,  fifes  playing,  colors  waving  in  the  breeze. 


i 


I 


REMINISCENCES   OF    EARLY    DAYS.  85 

and  all  falling  into  line  as  they  came  up.  In  mv  cliildi.sh 
opinion  there  would  be  men  enough  there  to  conquer  the 
world. 

After  performing  a  great  many  evolutions,  in  one  long 
column  they  would  march  down  into  the  town.  It  was  a 
glorious  sight  to  gaze  upon  this  proud  array.  The  ladies, 
in  their  fine  dresses,  would  crowd  the  doors  and  windows, 
clap  their  hands,  and  wave  their  handkerchiefs.  Every 
fellow  now  would  straighten  up  and  step  proudly  forward, 
imagining  every  eye  was  fixed  on  him  alone.  I  would 
have  given  all  the  gold  of  Ophir  had  I  possessed  it  to  have 
been  large  enough  to  march  in  this  proud  column.  You 
must  remember  that  I  describe  things  as  they  seemed  to 
me  then,  in  my  childish  ilincy.  So  impatient  was  I  to 
attain  the  proper  age  and  height  to  muster,  that  I  re- 
quested an  officer  one  day  to  make  me  a  mai'k  with  his 
pencil  on  the  door ;  and  he  promised  that  when  I  should 
reach  it  he  would  let  me  muster  under  him.  For  a  time, 
I  often  went  and  stood  under  this  mark  to  see  how  I  was 
getting  on,  and  sometimes,  to  help  me  on,  I  tried  to  do  a 
little  extra  eating,  but  I  went  up  so  slowly,  that  I  finally 
became  discouraged  and  gave  it  up. 

To  the  left  of  the  principal  street  in  Williamston,  if  I 
remember  rightly,  stood  the  old  Court-house,  the  object 
of  aSectionate  remembrance  long  years  afterwards.  Here 
I  used  to  see  sights  that  just  suited  the  taste  of  the  idle 
village  boy,  whose  chief  delight  was  to  ramble  about  from 
place  to  place  to  see  whatever  could  be  seen.  It  had  a 
venerable  look,  even  then, — this  old  Court-house.  It  stood 
on  wooden  posts  or  pillars,  high  enough  from  the  ground 
for  vehicles  of  every  description  to  pass  under  it.  There 
was  a  kind  of  rude  stairway  rising  from  the  ground  outside 
5 


86  ELDER     REUBEN    ROSS. 

the  building,  leading  to  a  door  in  the  end  of  it  next  the 
street.  This  was  the  only  entrance  to  the  room  above 
where  the  courts  were  held.  I  do  not  remember  ever 
going  up  into  this  room,  though  I  would  sometimes  go  up 
the  steps  high  enough  to  look  into  it  and  observe  what 
was  going  on  there.  I  noticed  there  would  be  a  man 
seated  on  one  side  of  this  room,  before  whom  first  one  man 
and  then  another  would  rise  up  and  speak  in  what  I 
thought  rather  a  threatening  manner  at  times.  While 
this  was  going  on  above,  a  lively  scene  would  generally  be 
enacting  in  the  lov^er  regions.  In  those  times  Court  days 
were  a  kind  of  Saturnalia.  Everybody  would  seem  to  be 
there  either  buying  or  selling  rum,  beer,  cider,  oysters,  or 
gingerbread.  Early  in  the  morning  the  elite  of  the  piny- 
woods  would  be  seen  hurrying  in  on  their  little  horses,  so 
low  that  the  toes  of  their  long-legged  riders  would  almost 
reach  the  ground,  and  generally  at  about  half  speed.  I 
believe  all  uncivilized  people  are  hard  riders.  The  Indian 
squaws  even,  as  I  have  been  told,  ride  like  Lapland 
witches. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  day,  the  hoys  would  become 
"unco  happy,"  and  be  seen  walking  about,  shaking  hands, 
hugging  each  other  in  the  most  affectionate  manner,  and 
making  vows  of  eternal  friendship.  While  all  were  in  this 
delightful  frame  of  mind,  suddenly,  perhaps,  the  startling 
sound,  "a  fight!  a  fight!"  would  be  heard.  Then  a  simul- 
taneous rush  would  be  made  to  the  scene  of  conflict,  a  ring 
be  formed  around  the  belligerents,  and  so  intense  would 
be  the  desire  of  the  outsiders  to  see  the  fight,  that  they 
would  often  climb  up  on  each  other's  shoulders  to  look 
down  into  the  arena  below.  Soon  a  friend  of  one  of  the 
combatants  would  break   through   the  ring  to  help  his 


\ 


REMINISCENCES   OF    EARLY    DAYS.  87 

comrade,  and  the  cry  of  "  foul  play  "  be  heard.  Then  a 
friend  of  the  other  party  would  throw  off  hat,  coat,  and 
shirt,  and  spring  upon  the  interloper.  Then  another  and 
another  would  go  in,  until  the  battle  would  wax  fierce  and 
general.  After  a  little,  one  fellow  would  cry  out  "  enough !" 
and  be  dragged  out.  Then  another  would  make  a  similar 
announcement,  and  be  pulled  out  also  by  his  friends,  and 
this  would  continue  until  the  fight  ended,  and  perhaps, 
after  all,  no  one  could  tell  what  it  was  all  about. 

For  all  this,  no  such  thing  as  pistol,  dirk,  or  bowie- 
knife  would  be  seen  or  thought  of.  When  all  was  over,  it 
would  be  found  that  no  serious  mischief  had  been  done. 
Perhaps  next  day,  on  coining  to,  one  might  find  that  he 
had  gained  a  black  eye,  or  lost  a  small  piece  of  his  ear. 
In  those  days  there  was  no  meddlesome  police  to  interfere 
on  such  occasions  and  mar  the  happiness  of  the  people  in 
their  sports.  I  would  not  be  understood  as  saying  that 
scenes  similar  to  the  one  described  always  occurred  on 
court  days. 

Under  this  old  Court-house  I  ate  many  a  fine  mess  of 
oysters.  On  court  days  they  would  be  brought  here  in 
carts,  nicely  prepared  for  use.  Each  dealer  would  have  a 
table  for  his  customers  to  eat  from.  When  one  called  for 
oysters,  they  would  be  set  before  him  with  a  piece  of  white 
wheaten  bread,  vinegar,  salt,  and  pepper.  These  oysters 
were  nearly  fresh,  and  beyond  comparison  superior  to  any 
I  have  ever  seen  since.  At  least  this  is  the  impression 
left  on  my  mind.  Your  grandfather  was  very  fond  of 
them,  and  frequently  went  down  among  the  carts  to  feast 
on  them.  When  he  did  so,  if  I  could  be  found,  he  gener- 
ally took  me  with  him.  On  these  occasions,  I  stood  or 
sat  by  him  and  had  a  good  time  of  it. 


88  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

Few  things  that  I  can  remember  afforded  me  more 
pleasure  than  to  go  on  a  fishing  excursion  with  him.  He 
would  take  me  in  a  canoe  and  paddle  either  up  or  down 
the  river,  until  he  came  to  a  place  shaded  by  the  trees 
that  leaned  over  the  water.  Here  he  would  soon  catch  a 
basket  of  the  finest  fish.  It  seemed  strange  that  they 
would  bite  for  him  so  much  more  freely  than  for  me.  I 
would  drop  my  hook  just  as  near  to  his  as  I  could  get  it, 
and  not  have  a  nibble  even,  while  he  brought  them  out, 
fluttering  one  after  another  in  rapid  succession.  At  length, 
becoming  disgusted,  I  would  throw  down  my  pole,  and  go 
to  playing  in  the  water.  Why  the  fish  manifested  so  great 
a  preference  for  his  bait  was  then  and  still  is  a  mystery 
to  me.  I  could  see  no  reason  for  it  whatever.  My  bad 
success  though  did  not  prevent  my  enjoyment.  The  beau- 
tiful river,  the  beautiful  trees  that  bordered  it,  and  the 
sandy  shores  all  combined  to  fill  the  mind  with  a  succes- 
sion of  pleasing  emotions. 

The  woods  around  Williamston,  at  certain  seasons  of  the 
year,  abounded  in  wild  grapes,  chincapins,  huckleberries, 
(fee.  To  ramble  among  these  woods,  gather  and  eat  grapes 
and  huckleberries,  collect  chincapins  for  winter,  and,  when 
tired,  to  roll  up  great  heaps  of  fragrant  pine  straw  to 
wallow  in,  were  among  our  most  agreeable  pastimes. 

On  the  outskirts  of  the  village  grew  a  gigantic  willow 
tree,  which  made  a  beautiful  playground,  and  all  the 
children  of  the  place  used  to  meet  there  to  play  under  it. 
There  was  nothing  left  behind  that  we  children  regretted 
more  than  this  beautiful  tree.  Among  others  that  often 
met  us  there  I  remember  a  little  girl  attended  by  her  old 
nurse.  For  her  we  boys  had  the  profoundest  admiration. 
Her  hair  was  dark  and  very  glossy,  her  eyes  large  and  of 


REMINISCENCES   OF    EARLY    DAYS.  89 

a  deep  hazel  color,  her  complexion  fair  as  the  lily,  and  her 
expression  inexpressibly  sweet  and  pleasant.  At  least  so 
I  thought.  She  usually  sat  a  little  apart  from  the  rest, 
watching  our  pranks,  and  occasionally  clapping  her  tiny 
hands.  When  something  very  amusing  would  occur,  she 
would  lay  her  head  down  on  the  grass  and  laugh  to  her 
little  heart's  content.  The  power  of  grace  and  artless 
beauty,  as  shown  even  in  this  child,  must  be  great,  for 
there  was  not  a  young  scape-grace  among  us  that  was  not 
gentle  as  a  lamb  in  her  presence. 

But  I  know  you  must  be  weary  by  this  time,  and  so  I 
will  stop,  after  saying  once  more, — Good-bye,  my  dear  old 
native  State,  stretching  far  away  beyond  the  blue  moun- 
tains to  the  deep  Atlantic.  Good-bye,  fair  Roanoke,  my 
native  stream,  dear  to  my  childhood's  memory,  as  the 
winding  Ayr,  or  bonny  Doon,  to  the  great  Scottish  bard. 
Good-bye,  dear  old  Court-house,  with  all  your  pleasant 
memories.  Good-bye,  grand  old  willow,  with  your  long 
pendent  branches  waving  in  the  breeze.  And  Good-bye, 
too,  little  beauty  of  our  play-ground.  I  trust  your  bark 
has  glided  smoothly  down  the  stream  of  time.  But  if,  as 
is  most  likely,  long  ere  this,  you  have  found  your  last 
resting-place,  may  the  birds  sing  and  the  flowers  bloom 
sweetly  around  it.     Good-bye  one  and  all. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE   JOURNEY   COMMENCED. 

The  time  for  beginning  the  journey  at  length  arrived; 
and  I  propose  to  give  you  some  of  the  scenes  and  incidents 
connected  with  it,  as  they  arise  in  my  memory.  You  will, 
no  doubt,  be  surprised  to  find  that  it  retains  so  many  of 
these,  as  I  was  then  only  six  years  old.  But  what  things 
I  shall  relate,  and  many  besides,  were  themes  of  conversa- 
tion in  the  family  circle  long  years  afterwards,  and  thus 
became  fixed  in  my  memory. 

Several  other  families  had  concluded  to  emigrate  with 
us,  with  their  large  families  of  children  and  servants.  It 
was  agreed  that  all  should  leave  their  homes  the  same  day, 
in  the  morning,  and  meet  at  a  deserted  Episcopal  church 
that  stood  in  a  forest  of  pines  some  distance  from  the  town, 
and  there  encamp  the  first  night. 

There  were  many  of  these  deserted  churches  in  Vir- 
ginia and  the  Carolinas  at  that  time.  "When  the  law  was 
passed  depriving  the  clergy  of  that  church  of  the  sixteen 
thousand  pounds  of  tobacco  to  which  they  had  been  enti- 
tled annually,  the  Established  Church  was  broken  up,  and 
these  lonely  and  decaying  buildings  might  be  seen  in  many 
places  in  the  country.  As  many  of  these  churches  had 
grave-yards  attached,  which  were  likewise  neglected,  the 
superstitious  imagined  they  often  saw  forms  that  did  not 
90 


THE   JOURNEY    COMMENCED.  91 

seem  properly  to  belong  to  this  world — not  only  by  night, 
but  sometimes  in  broad  day — standing  still  or  moving 
about ;  people  generally  went  a  little  out  of  their  way  to 
pass  around  them.  This  was  especially  the  case  with  the 
boys  and  negroes,  who  had  many  tales  to  relate  of  what 
they  and  others  had  seen  at  these  places. 

On  the  Gth  of  May,  1807,  according  to  appointment, 
all  bade  adieu  to  their  friends  and  relatives,  the  scenes  of 
their  early  life,  the  graves  of  their  fathers,  and  many  ob- 
jects besides  around  which  memory  loves  to  linger,  and 
turned  their  faces  towards  the  setting  sun.  It  was  custo- 
mary then,  and  I  believe  is  so  still,  when  a  family  was 
about  to  remove  from  a  place  where  they  had  long  resided, 
and  seek  a  home  in  a  distant  country,  for  the  near  neigh- 
bors and  intimate  friends  to  call  and  bid  them  farewell. 
This  is  usually  a  time  when  there  is  much  tenderness  of 
feeling ;  many,  in  taking  leave,  would  not  venture  to  speak ; 
a  tender  embrace,  a  silent  tear,  and  a  pressure  of  the  hand 
in  many  cases  would  be  all.  But  few  of  the  aged  men  and 
women  now  living  do  not  remember  such  parting  scenes. 
In  those  early  times  the  emigrants  that  left  Carolina  or 
Virginia  to  settle  in  Kentucky  or  Tennessee  hardly  ex- 
pected ever  again  to  see  those  from  whom  they  parted, 
especially  if  somewhat  advanced  in  years.  The  great  dis- 
tance, the  intervening  mountains  and  rivers,  the  difficult 
roads,  and  the  cruel  savages  that  roamed  in  and  around 
these  States  forbade  the  indulgence  of  this  hope.  They 
parted  much  as  do  those  who  [jart  at  the  grave. 

We  children  and  the  negroes  that  were  along  kept  up 
our  spirits  pretty  well  by  thinking  and  talking  about  Cum- 
berland,— the  name  of  the  beautiful  new  world  we  were 
to  find  at  the  end  of  our  journey.     We  loved  to  hear  the 


92  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

word  jironouiiced,  and  when  journeying  on  towards  it,  if 
a  stranger  asked  us  to  "  what  parts  "  we  were  going,  we 
answered  proudly,  "To  Cumberland."  We  always  lost 
heart  though  a  little  when  told  there  were  no  shad  or  her- 
ring, chincapins,  huckleberries,  or  pine-knots  to  kindle 
fires  with  in  all  this  beautiful  country.  The  negroes  made 
a  serious  matter  of  the  pine-knot  question,  and  thought 
the  lack  of  these  a  great  drawback  on  any  country,  how- 
ever blest  in  other  respects, — even  on  Cumberland  itself. 

On  the  day  appointed,  the  whole  party  met  at  the  old 
church  ;  and  as  the  night  came  on,  the  tents  were  pitched. 
Two  or  three  stakes,  forked  at  the  upper  ends,  were  cut, 
and  firmly  planted  in  the  ground.  On  these  a  ridge-pole 
was  laid,  and  against  it  other  poles  were  leaned  like  the 
rafters  of  a  house.  Over  all  these  a  large  tent-cloth  or 
piece  of  canvas  was  spread,  to  keep  off  the  rain  and  dews ; 
then  another  piece  of  the  same  material  was  hung  up  op- 
posite the  front,  which  was  always  turned  from  the  wind, 
to  keep  the  smoke  from  being  blown  in.  Then,  if  the 
leaves  on  the  ground  were  dry,  some  of  them  would  be 
brought  in  and  spread  down  inside  the  tent.  A  bed  was 
then  brought  in  from  the  wagon  and  laid  on  quilts  and 
made  comfortable  to  sleep  on,  a  blazing  fire  kindled  at  the 
mouth  of  the  tent,  and  supper  cooked  and  served.  This 
would  bo  followed,  perhaps,  by  a  stroll  around  the  camp- 
fires,  and  then  to  bod. 

The  first  night  we  children  camped  out  we  were  ill  at 
ease.  We  thought  ghosts  could  not  find  a  more  desirable 
place  for  their  walks  than  the  lonely  church.  The  scarred 
trunks  of  the  pines,  white  with  the  indurated  rosin,  the 
moaning  of  the  wind  in  their  lofty  tops,  and  the  red  glare 
of  the  camp-fires  among  their  branches    worked  on  our 


THE  JOURNEY   COMMENCED.  93 

imaginations,  ani  caused  the  whole  scene  to  appear  weird 
and  spectral.  But  at  length  "  tired  nature's  sweet  re- 
storer" came  to  our  relief,  and  in  the  deep  slumber  of 
happy  childhood  all  was  forgotten.  Next  morning  betimes 
all  were  up.  The  teams  were  fed,  break^ist  prepared  and 
served,  the  tents  struck,  and  the  long  journey  began  in 
earnest. 

Other  emigrant  families  soon  joined  us,  and  their  wagons 
and  teams,  in  addition  to  ours,  formed  a  long  line  that 
moved  slowly  over  the  white  sandy  roads,  bordered  by  the 
stately  pines.  Among  these  families  was  that  of  a  man 
named  Long,  with  his  wife  and  three  or  four  children 
They  seemed  to  be  in  better  circumstances  than  any  others 
of  the  party, — better  dressed,  better  equipped  for  travel- 
ing, more  cheerful  and  lively,  and  in  these  respects  in 
strong  contrast  with  their  fellow-travelers.  We  soon 
learned  they  were  Methodists,  a  kind  of  people  we  young 
Predestinarians  knew  but  little  about. 

The  first  night  we  encamped  together  the  Long  children 
joined  us  in  our  plays ;  and  after  things  began  to  grow  a 
little  dull  the  oldest  daughter,  a  lively  girl  ten  or  twelve 
years  old,  proposed  that  we  should  have  a  camp-meeting, 
and  all  get  happy.  Then  she  began  to  sing  a  lively  song,  in 
which  her  little  sisters  joined  her,  clapping  their  hands, 
shouting  "glory!  glory!"  and  swaying  their  little  bodies 
backward  and  forward  in  a  way  that  astonished  the  rest 
of  us  greatly.  Their  parents  did  not  seem  to  think  this  at 
all  improper ;  but  ours  looked  grave  and  shook  their 
heads,  thinking  it  a  kind  of  mockery. 

One  evening  the  little  Long  girl  and  another  got  up  a 
discussion  about  religion,  in  which  the  former  remarked 
that  her    papa  said  ev.?ryboily  had  a  spark  of  grace  in 

5* 


94  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

his  soul,  whicli,  if  he  would  blow  and  fan  it,  would  kindle 
into  a  bright  flame,  and  make  him  a  good  Christian. 
To  this  it  was  replied,  "  If  one  was  not  of  the  elect  he 
might  blow  and  fan  a  long  time,  before  he  would  see  any 
bright  flame  make  its  appearance."  This  subject  was  dis- 
cussed more  or  less  frequently  for  several  days,  among  the 
larger  children,  and  indicated  the  hard-shell  and  soft-shell 
elements  very  clearly. 

After  journeying  with  us  for  several  days,  the  Longs 
took  another  road  and  left  us,  very  much  to  our  regret. 
We  missed  the  camp-meetings  and  songs,  especially  ut 
night,  after  they  were  gone.  I  do  not  remember  where 
they  were  to  settle,  if  I  ever  heard. 

The  first  town  through  whicli  we  passed,  after  leaving 
Williamston,  was  Tarboro,  in  Edgecombe  County,  —  the 
county  where  the  General  Assembly  of  North  Carolina 
met  in  1787.  Here  we  crossed  the  Tar  River,  on  a  lont; 
narrow  bridge.  The  water  under  the  bridge  looked  nearly 
black,  and  I  imagined  was  very  deep.  I  thought  it  a 
dangerous-looking  place,  and  was  glad  when  we  were 
safely  over  it.  The  next  place  that  I  remember  was 
Hillsboro,  in  Orange  County ;  and  the  fiext  Guilford  Court- 
House,  now  Greensboro,  where  the  femous  battle  was 
fought  between  General  Green  and  Lord  Cornwallis,  in 
178L  Here  we  all  stopped,  and  remained  several  hours 
on  the  battle-field,  trying  to  find  some  vestige  of  the  con- 
flict. We  only  made  out,  however,  two  or  three  trees  cut 
off"  a  considerable  distance  above  the  ground  by  the  cannon 
balls.  This  was  not  much,  it  was  true,  but  all  seemed 
thankful  that  they  had  seen  that  much.  I  remember  thei'e 
was  a  good  deal  of  jesting  about  the  time  it  took  some  of 
the  North  Carolina  militia  to  reach  Martin  County,  after 


THE   JOURNEY    COMMENCED.  95 

the  fight.  One  follow,  of  marvellous  speed  and  bottom, 
got  in  some  time  before  any  one  else,  and  reported  that  he 
was  the  only  one  left  alive  of  General  Green's  whole 
army, — that  all  the  rest  were  lying  stark  and  cold  on  the 
bloody  field  of  battle,  and  he  alone  was  left  to  tell  their 
sad  story. 

Some  days  after  leaving  this  place,  we  children  had 
loitered  behind ;  on  coming  up  with  the  wagons,  we  found 
them  all  stopped  on  an  elevated  part  of  the  road.  On 
inquiring  the  cause,  we  were  shown  what  seemed  to  be  a 
light  blue  cloud  lying  far  away  to  the  west,  on  the  verge 
of  the  horizon.  It  was  indeed  to  our  young  eyes  a  vision 
of  beauty.  In  its  vast  outline  not  a  rent  or  fissure  could  be 
seen;  and  we  gazed  upon  it  with  mingled  feelings  of  won- 
der and  admiration.  And  this,  then,  was  the  famous 
Blue  Ridge,  about  which  we  had  heard  so  much,  and  be- 
yond which  lay  our  distant  homes.  As  for  crossing  over 
it,  how  was  that  possible?  Could  wagons  and  teams 
ascend  perpendicular  walls  ?  or  pass  over  the  clouds  ? — 
so  thought  and  spoke  the  children. 

Some  time  after  this,  if  I  remember  rightly,  we  passed 
near  the  base  of  the  Pilot  Mountain,  a  conical  peak  of 
great  elevation,  and,  as  I  think,  in  Surrey  County,  around 
the  lofty  summit  of  which  some  wonder-loving  chap  told 
us  shapes  like  men  with  wings  had  often  been  seen  flying 
in  the  clear  blue  sky.  This  was  something  to  study  about; 
and  for  years  afterwards,  your  two  aunts  and  I  talked 
aVjout  it,  so  much  did  it  haunt  our  imaginations.  I  have 
thought  since  that  perhaps  eagles  might  have  sometimes 
built  their  nests  on  this  mountain,  and  that  this  gave  rise 
to  the  story,  if  there  was  any  foundation  for  it  at  all. 

North  Carolina  is  divided  by  geographers  into  three  sec- 


96  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

tious,  — the  eastern,  or  alluvial ;  the  middle,  or  hilly  ;  and 
the  western,  or  mountainous.  We  were  now  in  the  sec- 
tion last  mentioned.  As  we  approached  the  Blue  Eidge, 
it  seemed  every  day  to  rise  higher  and  higher  towards  the 
zenith.  At  length  our  tents  were  pitched  at  its  base.  In 
vain  they  tried  to  make  us  believe  that  this  was  the  same 
cahn  and  beautiful  mountain  which  we  had  seen  many 
days  before  when  it  first  came  into  view.  The  vast  masses 
of  rock,  piled  one  above  another  in  wildness  and  confusion  ; 
the  lofty  summits  beaten  and  scarred  by  wintry  storms; 
and  the  deep  ravines  worn  in  its  sides  by  descending  tor- 
rents,— forbade  our  believing  it  to  be  the  same  beautiful 
mountain  first  seen.  "Distance"  had  indeed  lent  "en- 
chantment to  the  view." 

We  did  not  cross  the  Blue  Pvidge  by  the  road  which  the 
State  of  Nortli  Carolina,  in  1770,  ordered  to  be  opened 
from  Morganton  on  the  east  to  Jonesboro  on  the  west  of 
the  mountains,  but  farther  nortli.  Nor  do  I  remember  the 
name  of  the  Gap  or  Pass  at  which  we  crossed.  A  good 
deal,  though,  was  said  at  the  time  about  a  pass  called 
Ward's  Gap. 

After  the  pass  had  been  reconnoitered  tlie  ascent  began, 
A  wagon  was  lightened  by  having  a  part  of  its  load  taken 
out.  Then  as  much  team,  from  other  wagons,  added  to  it 
as  could  be  conveniently  managed.  After  wliich,  one  man 
would  be  placed  at  each  wheel  to  assist  in  turning  it,  and 
two  behind  it,  each  with  a  large  stone  in  his  liand.  It  was 
the  business  of  the  scotchers,  as  they  were  called,  to  save 
every  inch  of  ground  in  the  ascent,  by  placing  their  stones, 
or  scotchers,  behind  the  wheels,  to  prevent  the  wagon  from 
rolling  back  and  dragging  the  team  after  it. 

All  things  being  ready,  the  driver  would  throw  himself 


THE  JOURNEY   COMMENCED.  97 

into  the  saddle,  crack  his  whip,  yell  at  the  horses,  in  which 
he  would  be  joined  by  others,  and  if  your  grandfather  were 
not  too  near,  perhaps  some  bad  words  would  be  heard. 
After  a  hard  pull,  the  driver  w^ould  ascend  probably  eight 
or  ten  yards,  and  then  make  his  team  stop  just  as  he  per- 
ceived they  were  about  to  do  so  themselves.  The  scotchers 
quickly  placed  their  stones  behind  the  wheels,  txj  save  all 
the  ground  gained.  Then  resting  a  minute,  the  word 
would  be  given  again  and  a  similar  feat  performed.  In 
this  way  all  the  wagons  finally  reached  the  summit  of  the 
mountain,  and  a  shout  of  triumph  was  heard  by  those 
below. 

While  this  was  going  on  the  boys  had  a  sort  of  side- 
show, which  made  them  nearly  frantic  with  delight.  They 
persuaded  a  stout  lad  to  play  wagon  for  them.  He  got 
down  on  all-fours,  with  a  string  around  his  neck,  which 
was  held  by  another  boy,  whip  in  hand,  and  scotchers 
were  behind  with  stones  to  prevent  his  rolling  back  ;  in 
this  way  they  carried  him  up  the  mountain  too.  They 
enjoyed  every  part  of  the  show  in  a  high  degree;  but 
when  the  boy  would  balk,  as  he  sometimes  did,  and  kick 
up  his  hind  legs  like  a  horse,  the  mountain  fairly  echoed 
with  their  yells  of  delight. 

I  do  not  remember  the  number  of  emigrant  wagons 
then  with  us.  Perhaps  there  were  half  a  dozen,  perhaps 
more.  Some  had  taken  other  roads  and  parted  from  us 
before  we  reached  the  mountain.  All  finally  gained  the 
heights  in  safety,  prepared,  after  a  night's  repose,  to  re- 
sume the  journey  on  the  morrow. 

The  east  of  the  Blue  Ridge  is  the  boundary  between 
North  Carolina  and  Tennessee.  On  these  lofty  heights 
the  emigrant  might  take  his  stand,  and  turning  his  tace 


98  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS, 

to  the  east,  gaze  for  the  last  time  on  his  native  State  and 
bid  it  a  final  adieu.  First  and  last,  how  many  sorrowful 
hearts,  young  and  old,  have  performed  this  sad  rite ! 

The  journey  thus  far  had  been  one  of  no  little  anxiety 
to  your  grandfather.  Soon  after  it  began,  your  grand- 
mother took  a  deep  cold  from  which  she  did  not  fully 
recover  before  it  ended.  At  one  time  she  was  so  much 
indisposed,  that  a  physician  was  called  in  to  prescribe  for 
her,  and  fears  were  entertained  that  she  would  not  be  able 
to  finish  the  journey.  I  well  remember  her  pale  and  sor- 
rowful face,  as  she  lay  on  her  bod,  and  was  moved  along 
over  the  roush  uneven  roads. 


CHAPTER   X. 

BEYOND   THE    MOUNTAINS. 

We  must  liave  made  a  considerable  ddour  after  crossing 
the  mountains,  for  Abingdon,  in  Washington  County,  Vir- 
ginia, was  the  next  town  I  remeniber.  Its  locality  in  the 
old  times,  I  think,  was  known  as  the  "  Wolf  Hills."  Here 
lived  the  Crabtrees,  who  killed  an  Indian  while  the  treaty 
of  Watago  was  being  negotiated,  which  brought  so  much 
trouble  upon  the  early  settlers.  This  town  was  on  the 
great  highway  traveled  by  the  early  emigrants  from  Vir- 
ginia, who,  turning  to  the  right  and  passing  through  the 
famous  Cumberland  Gap,  entered  Kentucky,  while  those 
from  Carolina,  turning  to  the  left  down  the  valley  of  the 
Holston,  entered  Tennessee. 

Along  this  route  .Boone  and  his  large  party  of  emi- 
grants met  with  a  bloody  defeat,  by  the  Indians,  in  1772, 
in  which  one  of  his  sons  was  killed.  On  this  route,  also, 
the  father  of  the  famous  Peter  Cartwright  and  his  family 
traveled  in  these  perilous  times,  when  on  their  way  to 
Kentucky,  of  which  he  has  given  an  account  so  deeply 
interesting  in  the  first  chapter  of  his  autobiography,  and 
which  culminated  in  the  murder  of  "  the  seven  families  " 
near  Crab  Orchard,  in  Kentucky,  by  the  Indians.  On 
this  route  the  famous  pioneers  of  Kentucky,  Boone,  Callo- 
way, Henderson,  Clark,  Rogers,  and  others  traveled  to 
explore  this  wild  and  perilous  region  when  in  its  primeval 

99 


100  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

state;  as  also  Robertson,  Donelson,  Sevier,  etc.,  so  famous 
in  the  annals  of  the  early  settlements  in  Tennessee. 

Abingdon  was  even  then  a  pretty  town.  Here  we 
children  had  a  feast  of  gingerbread  given  us  by  our 
parents,  and  most  of  us  received  some  small  presents 
besides.  Mine  was  a  bright,  tin  cup,  which  I  car- 
ried many  days  suspended  from  ray  neck,  and  used  in 
drinking  water  from  the  pretty  streams  which  we  so  often 
crossed.  It  was  long  ere  we  juveniles  forgot  Abingdon, 
and  its  name  even  now  sound's  pleasant  to  my  ears. 

Journeying  on,  we  at  length  reached  Bean's  Station,  a 
place  about  which  the  emigrants  had  a  great  deal  to  say, 
long  before  we  reached  it,  as  being  the  place  where  the 
first  settlement  was  made  west  of  the  mountains,  in  what, 
as  I  think,  is  now  Grainger  County.  But  its  being  the 
place  where  the  first  white  child  was  born  in  Tennessee, 
seemed  to  have  given  it  more  dignity  and  importance 
than  anything  else.  They  could  never  cease  talking  about 
that  child,  and  I  came  at  length  to  envy  its  good  fortune 
to  some  extent,  and  to  wonder  why  1  could  not  have  been 
born  there  instead.  To  me,  except  for  the  child,  the  place 
seemed  to  have  no  interest  whatever,  ignorant  as  I  then 
was  of  the  bloody  Indian  wars  and  thrillmg  incidents 
that  had  occurred  long  before,  on  the  banks  of  the  historic 
Watauga  and  Nolichucky  rivers,  and  also  of  the  famous 
old  beech  tree  that  bore  until  lately,  if  it  does  not  still, 
the  inscription  carved  in  its  bark  by  Daniel  Boone,  in 
1760 — about  forty-seven  years  before  we  passed  through 
that  country. 

After  leaving  Bean's  Station,  while  among  the  moun- 
tains of  Tennessee,  we  saw  much  that  was  picturesque  and 
beautiful,  hills  and  mountains,  covered  with  vast  p?imeval 


BEYOND   THE   MOUNTAINS.  101 

forests,  and  robed  in  the  light  green  of  early  summer, 
with  valleys  of  surpassing  beauty  and  fertility,  through 
which  flowed  streams  of  bright  and  sparkling  water.  No 
wonder  the  poor  Indian  struggled  long  and  hard  to  retain 
possession  of  this  beautiful  and  romantic  region. 

It  was  among  these  mountains  that  I  got  into  trouble. 
Passing  near  a  beautiful  stream,  where  some  men  were 
engaged  in  catching  a  quantity  of  fine  fish,  I  could  not 
resist  the  temptation  to  stop  and  look  at  them.  I  waited 
too  long.  The  wagons  got  far  before  me.  Starting  off 
in  a  hurry  to  overtake  them,  I  took  a  wrong  road.  After 
proceeding  some  distance  I  turned  back  to  get  in  the  right 
one  again,  having  found  my  mistake.  In  the  meantime 
I  had  been  missed ;  the  wagons  were  all  stopped  in  the 
road,  the  horses  unharnessed  and  mounted,  and  the  neigh- 
borhood scoured  in  search  of  me.  They  feared  I  had 
been  drowned  in  the  river.  All  were  in  distress,  and 
some  in  tears,  for  I  had  many  friends.  At  length  I  was 
seen  toiling  up  the  road,  weary  with  my  long  walk  and 
anxiety.  A  shout  was  raised ;  all  gathered  around  me 
and  manifested,  for  a  while,  the  most  lively  satisfaction 
for  my  safety.  But  some  who  had  been  in  tears,  when 
they  thought  me  dead,  after  they  came  to  think  of  the 
trouble  and  detention  I  had  caused,  suddenly  turned 
against  me  and  rather  hinted  that  some  punishment 
would  do  me  no  harm  :  I  was  quite  surprised  at  the  sud- 
den turn  things  had  taken.  I  escaped  punishment,  how- 
ever, but  was  in  disgrace  for  several  days. 

Long  before  we  reached  it  we  heard  of  a  portion  of 
country  we  had  to  pass  through  called  the  wilderness ; 
and  what  made  it  more  appalling  to  us  children  was  that 
sometimes  the  word  "  howling  "  was  added.     The  phrase 


102  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

"howling  wilderness,"  sounded  ominous  in  our  ears.  Visions 
of  wolves,  bears,  lions,  tigers,  panthers,  and  Indians  rose 
before  us.  This  wilderness  lay  on  the  Cumberland  Moun- 
tain, between  the  Clinch  River,  a  northern  tributary  of 
the  Tennessee  and  the  Caney  Fork,  a  southern  tributary 
of  the  Cumberland. 

In  consequence  of  some  misunderstanding  about  what 
was  called  the  treaty  of  Holston,  it  was  uncertain  at  the 
time  to  which  race  it  belonged,  the  white  or  the  Indian, 
and  consequently  neither  held  it  in  possession.  It  com- 
menced, I  believe,  about  forty  miles  west  of  Knoxville, 
and  terminated  about  sixty  miles  east  of  Nashville.  And 
as  the  distance  between  Knoxville  and  Nashville  is  two 
hundred  miles,  it  must  have  been  about  one  hundred  miles 
across.  A  beautiful  description  of  this  wilderness  you 
may  find  in  Parton's  Life  of  Jackson,  Volume  I,  chapter 
16.  It  was  written  by  Francis  Bailey,  the  celebrated 
English  astronomer,  who  crossed  it  in  1797,  about  ten 
years  before  we  did. 

It  was  necessary  for  all  who  passed  through  this  wil- 
derness to  provide  food  for  themselves  and  their  teams, 
before  attempting  to  do  so;  especially  for  themselves. 
There  were  many  places  where  the  teams  could  find  an 
abundance  of  grass  and  wild  pea-vines.  These  pea-vines 
were  preferred  by  horses  and  cattle  to  any  other  food 
whatever.  And  it  was  said  to  recruit  them  when  in  low 
condition  faster  than  any  other  known.  These  were  abun- 
dant among  the  hills  and  mountains  of  Tennessee  in  early 
times,  and  aftbrded  the  richest  pasturage. 

Soon  after  entering  the  wilderness,  we  descended  a  very 
long  and  steep  hill,  not  far  from  Crab  Orchard,  in  Morgan 
County,  Tennessee,  I  think,  and  encamped  near  a  pretty 


BEYOND   THE   MOUNTAINS.  103 

stream  of  water.  It  was  a  beautiful  and  romantic  spot. 
The  little  stream  was  called  Daddy's  Creek.  This  name 
greatly  delighted  us  children.  We  would  have  given  any- 
thing to  know  how  it  came  by  that  name.  The  hill  we  had 
just  descended  was  the  famous  Spencer's  Hill,  so  called  from 
a  pioneer  of  that  name  who  had  been  killed  upon  it  by  the 
Indians.  There  was  a  great  deal  said  that  night  around 
the  camp-fires  about  poor  Spencer,  how  he  and  another 
man  named  Holiday  crossed  the  mountains  together  and 
traveled  on  until  they  reached  the  neighborhood  where 
the  City  of  Nashville  now  stands ;  how  each  built  a  rude 
cabin  and  cleared  a  little  field ;  how  Spencer  would  cut 
down  a  large  tree,  take  a  rail-cut  on  his  shoulder,  and 
carry  it  to  the  place  where  he  was  making  his  fence,  split 
it  into  rails,  and  lay  them  upon  it,  all  of  which  he  was 
enabled  to  do  on  account  of  his  pi'odigious  strength ;  how 
a  hunter,  not  knowing  he  was  in  the  country,  and  seeing 
his  enormous  foot-prints  in  the  snow,  became  frightened, 
fled  from  it,  and  reported  it  full  of  giants ;  how  Holiday 
lost  his  knife,  and  Spencer  broke  his  own  in  two  and  gave 
him  half  of  it  when  they  parted ;  and  how,  after  he  had 
finished  his  cabin,  and  fenced  his  little  field,  when  on  his 
way  home  to  bring  his  wife  and  children  to  the  beautiful 
country  he  had  found  for  them,  he  was  killed  by  the  cruel 
savages  on  the  hill  which  bore  his  name. 

The  children  shed  tears  for  the  noble  hunter,  when  we 
thought  of  his  manly  form  lying  stark  and  cold  far  away 
in  the  lonely  mountain,  never  again  to  be  seen  by  his 
sorrowing  wife  and  fatherless  children ;  and  gave  vent  to 
our  feelings  of  abhorrence  by  heaping  every  opprobrious 
epithet  we  knew  upon  his  murderers.  I  may  observe 
here  that  most,  if  not  all  of  what  we  heard  that  night 
relating  to  Spencer  is,  I  think,  historically  true. 


104  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

We  were  alarmed  on  several  occasions  while  in  the 
wilderness,  two  of  which  I  remember.  One  evening,  after 
our  tents  were  pitched  for  the  night,  a  solitary  Indian 
came  to  us  with  some  venison  for  sale.  He  told  us  he 
was  "good  Injun."  Our  people,  however,  thought  dif- 
ferently, and  set  him  down  as  an  Indian  of  the  very  worst 
kind,  sent  as  a  spy  by  his  tribe,  perhaps  not  far  off,  to 
ascertain  our  strength  and  means  of  defense ;  and  if  he 
found  us  weak,  to  return  and  bring  a  party  down  upon  us 
during  the  night,  to  tomahawk  and  scalp  the  last  one  of 
us  before  day.  The  more  we  thought  about  it,  the  greater 
the  danger  seemed.  A  council  was  held,  and  the  "  con- 
script-fathers "  decided  to  buy  the  Indian's  venison,  and 
to  invite  him  to  stay  with  us  all  night.  Should  he  con- 
sent to  this,  well  and  good ;  if  not,  to  place  him  under 
arrest,  and  keep  him  prisoner  till  morning.  When  the 
proposition  was  made  he  readily  consented,  and  at  bed- 
time rolled  up  for  himself  a  bed  of  dry  leaves,  got  into  it 
and  went  to  sleep.  Not  so  your  grandmother.  Aunt 
Rosa,  and  others.  All  night  they  watched  that  pile  of 
leaves,  expecting  every  moment  to  see  the  Indian  crawl 
stealthily  from  among  them,  and  start  oif  to  bring  his 
gang  upon  us.  But  this  did  not  happen.  When  morning 
came  he  was  still  there,  remained  with  us  till  after  break- 
fast, then  shouldered  his  rifle,  bade  us  adieu,  disappeared 
in  the  forest,  and  this  was  the  last  of  our  "  good  Injun," 
as  he  really  turned  out  to  be. 

The  next  trouble  we  had  in  the  wilderness  occurred 
when  at  the  close  of  a  day's  journey,  we  reached  a  stream 
of  water  too  late  to  cross  over  it.  Other  emigrants, 
though,  who  reached  it  earlier  in  the  evening  had  crossed, 
and  encamped  on  the  opposite  side. 


BEYOND   THE   MOUNTAINS.  105 

I  must  inform  you,  if  you  do  not  already  know  it,  that 
large  reeds,  or  canes,  when  thrown  on  a  hot  fire,  will 
swell  and  burst  with  a  report  very  much  resembling  the 
crack  of  a  rifle.  The  children  on  the  other  side  of  the 
stream,  after  all  had  become  quiet,  and  before  going  to 
sleep,  got  into  a  frolic,  and  commenced  throwing  armfuls 
of  large  canes  on  the  fire,  and  shouting  when  they  burst. 

We  on  our  side  took  this  to  be  the  report  of  rifles,  ac- 
companied by  the  yells  of  Indians,  and  thought  all  on  the 
other  side  were  being  massacred  by  them,  and  that  it 
would  soon  be  our  turn.  Wild  shrieks  now  arose  among 
the  women,  children,  dogs,  and  negroes,  and  dire  was  the 
din  that  followed.  The  people  on  the  other  side,  hearing 
the  uproar  among  us,  and  never  dreaming  that  the  burst- 
ing of  the  reeds  and  the  shouting  of  the  children  of  their 
party  was  the  cause  of  it,  concluded  the  Indians  were 
among  us,  and  would  soon  be  on  them,  and  raising  a 
regular  murder  shout,  joined  in  the  concert.  It  would  be 
useless  to  attempt  a  description  of  the  scene  that  followed. 
Some  new  words  would  be  needed  for  the  purpose.  At 
length,  however,  quiet  was  restored.  On  reflection,  we 
were  heartily  ashamed  of  what  we  had  done,  and  those 
who  had  us  in  charge  thought  theirs  was  a  hard  lot 
indeed. 

After  leaving  the  wilderness  behind  us  and  crossing  the 
Caney  Fork  River,  while  going  towards  Nashville  we 
met  a  gentleman  in  the  road,  who  getting  into  conversa- 
tion with  your  grandfather,  advised  him  to  purchase  land, 
and  settle  in  what,  I  think,  was  then  called  the  Dutch 
River  country,  describing  it  as  being  a  beautiful  and  fer- 
tile region,  telling  him  at  the  same  time  that  he  owned 
land  there,  on  which  he  had  built  a  good  cabin,  which  he 


106  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

might  occupy  until  ho  could  find  land  to  suit  him,  and 
gave  him  at  the  same  time  an  order  to  his  agent  to  let 
him  have  possession  of  the  house.  I  have  heard  that  this 
gentleman  told  others  he  was  very  much  pleased  with 
your  grandfather's  appearance,  and  wanted  him  to  settle 
in  the  part  of  the  country  where  his  lands  lay,  believing 
he  would  attract  others  to  settle  near  him.  I  judge  he 
was  one  of  those  great  land  speculators,  who  were  then 
engaged  in  securing  a  portion  of  the  rich  lands  lying  south 
of  Nashville. 

We  accordingly  went  to  the  place,  found  his  cabin,  and 
took  possession.  It  was  situated  in  a  vast  cane-brake,  a 
description  of  which  would  be  incredible  to  one  who  had 
never  seen  anything  of  the  kind.  The  canes  reached 
half  way  up  the  tall  trees,  and  were  so  thick  that  a  bear, 
or  Indian,  could  not  have  been  seen  at  the  distance  of  a 
few  yards.  Where  a  road  or  path  was  cut  through  it  a 
wall,  almost  solid,  seemed  to  stand  on  the  right  hand  and 
on  the  left.  The  wild  and  lonely  appearance  of  the  coun- 
try, and  the  constant  dread  of  Indians,  however,  had  a 
depressing  effect  on  most  of  the  party,  and  they  begged 
to  be  carried  away  from  the  dismal  place,  so  the  idea  of 
settling  here  was  finally  abandoned.  But  your  grand- 
father always  regretted  that  he  did  not  remain,  as  he  thus 
saw  the  lands  were  wonderfully  fertile,  and  to  procure 
such  had  been  his  chief  inducement  in  leaving  his  native 
state  and  moving  to  the  West. 

Leaving  this  place,  we  journeyed  on  in  the  direction  of 
Nashville,  which  a  few  days  afterwards  w^e  reached.  Here 
I  was  sadly  disappointed ;  a  few  log  houses  and  two  or 
three  brick  kilns  constituted  the  Nashville  of  that  day, 
according  to  my  recollection.     But  I  suppose  we  must 


BEYOND   THE    MOUNTAINS.  107 

have  passed  through  the  suburbs  only.  For  I  see  from 
Putnam's  History  of  Middle  Tennessee,  that  two  years 
before  we  passed  by  it  or  through  it,  Nashville  could  have 
boasted  of  about  twenty  houses,  scattered  -around  here 
and  there,  in  various  directions.  What  a  change  had 
come  over  it  when  next  seen  by  me  some  thirty-five  years 
later !  It  had  grown  to  be  a  beautiful  city,  the  seat  of 
wealth  and  refinement.  A  bridge  spanned  the  Cumber- 
land; steamboats  lay  along  its  wharves,  and  its  spires  and 
domes  glittered  in  the  sun. 

From  Nashville,  after  crossing  the  Cumberland,  we 
traveled  in  a  north-westerly  direction  to  Port  Royal,  a 
village  situated  in  Montgomery  County  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  Red  River,  a  tributary  of  the  Cumberland.  This 
was  virtually  the  end  of  our  long  journey,  which  we 
reached  on  the  4th  of  July,  1807,  having  been  on  the  road 
two  long  and  eventful  months. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


AFTER   THE   JOURNEY. 


On  the  opposite  side  of  Red  River,  about  two  miles 
from  Port  Royal,  there  was  living  a,t  this  time  an  elderly 
gentleman  named  McGowan,  who  gave  your  grandfather 
permission  to  occupy,  for  the  present,  a  small  cabin  stand- 
ing in  his  yard.  He  was  a  grey-headed  man,  gentle  in  his 
manner,  with  a  pleasing  expression  of  countenance,  a  wid- 
ower at  the  time,  and  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
His  residence  was  a  short  distance  to  the  left  of  where  the 
road  leading  from  Port  Royal  to  Graysville,  Kentucky, 
and  the  one  leading  from  Clarksville  to  Keysburg  cross 
each  other,  and  in  what  is  now  a  field,  opposite  the  brick 
house,  formerly  built  by  James  Reasons,  Esq.,  a  man  of 
some  note  in  his  day,  and  occupied  at  present,  I  think,  by 
a  gentleman  named  Powers. 

A  short  distance  from  this  house  and  in  the  direction  of 
Port  Royal  is  what  was  formerly  known  as  the  Woolfolk 
place,  where  there  is  a  spring  breaking  out  in  a  sink-hole, 
the  water  from  which  is  conducted  off  in  a  wooden  trouu;h. 
This  place  is  noted  for  the  mysterious  murder,  in  former 
times,  of  a  young  man  near  it,  which  threw  all  the  country 
around  into  the  greatest  excitement.  No  one  was  ever 
brought  to  trial  or  punishment  for  the  bloody  deed,  as  no 
satisfactory  explanation  of  it,  I  think,  was  ever  obtained. 
Woolfolk  was  the  name  of  the  victim,  a  young  man  highly 
108 


AFTER   THE   JOURNEY.  109 

esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him.  It  was  generally  believed 
he  was  killed  by  mistake  for  another  who  was  at  the  time 
riding  with  him. 

When  we  drove  up  to  the  little  cabin,  your  grandfather 
told  us  children  that  we  were  now  at  the  end  of  our  jour- 
ney, as  he  had  decided  to  settle  somewhere  in  this  part 
of  the  country.  Could  this  be  so  ?  Was  this  place  the 
Eldorado  of  all  our  young  dreams,  the  beautiful  Cumber- 
land on  which  our  thoughts  had  delighted  so  long  to  dwell  ? 
It  could  not  be.  There  must  be  some  mistake.  Our  little 
feet,  sore  with  the  sharp  stones,  had  not  crossed  so  many 
hills  and  mountains  to  find  a  home  like  this.  Our  hearts 
were  nearly  broken.  We  laid  down  on  the  ground  and 
shed  bitter  tears.  Our  parents  sympathized  deeply  with 
us  in  our  disappointment,  but  there  was  no  help  for  it. 
All  was  soon  taken  from  the  wagon  and  carried  in.  And 
here,  in  the  language  of  antiquity,  "  our  household  gods 
were  set  up  "  for  the  present.  As  it  was  now  too  late  in 
the  season  to  think  of  renting  land  and  planting  a  crop, 
your  grandfather,  after  looking  round  a  little,  decided  to 
teach  a  school  for  a  few  months. 

He  was  then  about  thirty-one  years  of  age,  straight, 
well  proportioned,  just  under  six  feet  in  height,  and  weigh- 
ing one  hundred  and  forty -five  pounds,  which  was  his 
weight  for  many  years.  All  his  features  were  good.  His 
eyes  were  grey,  his  hair  dark  brown.  His  voice  was  plea- 
sant to  the  ear,  and  finely  adapted  to  sacred  music.  In 
the  prime  of  life,  when  he  became  animated  in  his  dis- 
course it  had  considerable  strength  and  power,  growing 
feeble  though  as  he  advanced  in  years.  His  complexion 
was  dark.  The  expression  of  his  countenance  was  thought- 
ful, and  this  deepened  perceptibly  as  he  grew  older. 
6 


no  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

In  a  large  and  mixed  company  he  was  rather  taciturn, 
but  a  close  observer  of  all  that  was  said  and  done  around 
him.  In  the  company  of  a  few  friends  his  conversation 
was  free  and  animated.  His  self-possession  and  sense  of 
what  was  becoming  and  proper  in  himself  and  others  were 
remarkable  traits  in  his  character.  I  doubt  whether  any 
person  living  or  dead  ever  saw  him  thrown  off  his  guard. 
It  mattered  not  how  sudden  and  unexpected  a  turn  things 
might  take,  he  always  seemed  to  have  foreseen  what  was 
coming  and  to  be  prepared  for  it.  This  was  often  seen 
in  after  life  while  presiding  over  deliberative  bodies  as 
chairman  or  moderator.  I  think  he  had  a  genius  for  the 
manapjement  of  affairs  of  i^-reat  moment  in  church  or  state, 
had  he  been  called  to  do  so. 

Soon  after  stopping  here  his  voice  as  a  preacher  was 
first  heard  west  of  the  mountains.  The  place  was  near 
what  is  now  known  as  the  Port  Ptoyal  Mills,  where  he  was  • 
then  living.  His  stand  was  under  the  branches  of  a  spread- 
ing oak,  his  audience  sitting  around  him  on  rude  seats  or 
on  the  ground  during  the  services.  I  supposed  when  I 
commenced  this  writing  that  I  could  find  some  grey-headed 
man  still  living  who  was  present  on  that  occasion ;  bivt  I 
have  failed  to  do  so.  They,  like  him,  have  passed  away. 
There  are  some  left  though  who  have  lieai'd  others  speak 
of  being  present  at  that  time.  Would  it  not  be  interesting 
to  know  how  many  sermons  he  preached  after  that  until 
he  delivered  his  last  short  address,  long  years  afterwards, 
in  the  old  Bethel  Church,  Christian  County,  Kentucky? 
At  two  hundred  for  each  year  they  would  have  numbered 
more  than  ten  thousand. 

In  the  month  of  November  of  this  year  (1807)  the  first 
great  sorrow  fell  upon  our  family.    While  your  grandfather 


AFTER   THE  JOURNEY.  1  1  1 

was  lying  on  a  sick  bed,  we  cliildren  were  playing  in  an 
outhouse  near  by.  Our  little  sister  Mildred,  so  called  after 
her  mother,  about  three  and  a  half  years  old,  was  with 
us.  We  were  amusing  ourselves  gathering  dry  leaves  and 
throwing  them  on  the  fire  to  see  them  blaze  up  and  burn. 
She  ran  out  and  brought  in  her  little  apron  full  of  leaves, 
like  the  rest  of  us,  threw  them  on  the  fire,  and  turned  her 
back  to  it.  They  caught,  blazed  up,  and  soon  she  was  en- 
veloped in  the  flames.  The  alarm  was  given.  Your  grand- 
father sprang  from  his  bed,  hastened  to  her,  and  tore  off 
her  clothing.  It  Wiis  too^  late.  The  burns  were  incur- 
able ;  and  after  a  few  days  of  intense  sufiering  she  died. 
We  larger  children  mourned  the  loss  of  our  little  favorite, 
and  thought  to  ourselves  she  had  traveled  a  long,  long 
journey  to  find  her  tiny  grave.  Her  parents  were  almost 
broken-hearted.  These  were  dark  days  in  our  family  his- 
tory, but  many  such  were  in  store  for  us  in  the  coming 
years. 

There  was  a  burying-ground  near  by,  and  neglected 
graves  may  still  be  seen  in  a  cluster  of  trees  to  the  left 
just  before  reaching  the  cross-roads  already  mentioned. 
There  she  was  buried,  and  in  this  lonely  place  her  ashes 
still  remain,  far  from  those  of  her  kindred  in  other  places. 
There  is  a  touching  reminiscence  connected  with  her  grave. 
When  she  was  buried,  two  rough  stones  were  set  up  to 
mark  the  spot  where  she  lay.  Several  years  later  your 
grandfather  stopped  to  visit  the  grave,  as  he  always  did 
when  passing  that  way,  and  found  to  his  surprise  that 
some  unknown  friend  had  removed  the  former  ones  and 
replaced  them  by  others  of  gray  limestone,  with  the  name 
and  dates  accurately  carved  on  them.  It  was  indeed  a 
delicate  act  of  friendship.     They  have  long  since  disap- 


112  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

paared,  and  the  exact  spot  cannot  now  be  identified.  It  is 
likely  they  were  removed  by  some  person  destitute  of 
respect  for  the  memory  of  the  dead,  to  be  used  for  some 
other  purpose. 

While  living  here  your  grandfather  was  visited  by  his 
brother  William  Ross,  who  had  heard  of  his  arrival  in 
this  country.  Tliis  brother,  soon  after  leaving  the  army 
at  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  had  come  west 
and  settled  in  what  is  now  Missouri,  but  was  at  that  time 
known  as  Louisiana,  a  part  of  the  then  vast  domains  of 
Spain.*  The  place  he  selected  for  a  home  while  still  un- 
married was  near  the  Mississippi  River  below  the  old 
French  town  called  by  the  early  French  adventurers  Cape 
Girardeau,  and  in  a  "  bottom  "  famous  for  its  deep  and 
fertile  soil.  They  had  not  met  before  since  your  grand- 
father was  a  little  boy. 

I  was  present  at  their  meeting.  It  was  very  affection- 
ate. They  held  each  other  in  a  long  embrace  and  shed 
tears  freely.  He  had  wandered  so  far  from  home — nearly 
a  thousand  miles — and  been  so  long  absent  and  lost  sight 
of  by  his  family,  that  he  had  come  to  be  regarded  very 
much  as  one  dead.  I  have  heard  that  he  encountered 
almost  incredible  hardships  and  dangers  during  his  long 
journey  on  foot,  from  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Mississippi,  while  passing  with  his  rifle  on  his  shoulder 

*  This  is  a  historical  mistake.  The  Louisiana  territory  originally  be- 
longed to  France,  but  in  1762  was  ceded  to  Spain.  In  1800  it  was  ceded 
back  to  France,  and  in  1803,  during  Mr.  Jefferson's  administration,  it 
was  purchased  by  the  United  Stales  for  fifteen  millions  of  dollars.  If 
this  were  the  place,  it  would  be  interesting  to  show  why  the  great  Na- 
poleon was  willing  to  sell  so  valuable  a  possession  at  that  time. 

J.  M.  P. 


I 


AFTER   THE  JOURNEY.  113 

through  the  deep  forests  and  savage  Indian  tribes.  He 
was  very  gentle  and  affectionate,  and  in  consequence  we 
all  became  much  attached  to  him,  considering  the  short 
time  he  remained  with  us. 

He  greatly  desired  your  grandfather  to  remove  from 
where  he  was  and  settle  near  him,  describing  the  country 
in  which  he  lived  as  surpassed  by  none  in  point  of  fertility 
of  soil,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  next  year  your  grandfather 
went  to  see  him  and  to  look  at  the  country.  But  from 
what  he  saw  of  it  he  concluded  it  must  be  unhealthy,  and 
was  afraid  to  take  his  family  there. 

In  the  autumn  of  1836,  long  afterwards,  I  had  occasion 
to  visit  that  country  myself.  I  learned  that  he,  his  wife, 
and  some  of  his  children  had  been  dead  many  years,  and 
the  rest  had  left  there  and  gone  farther  west,  no  one 
could  tell  me  where.  I  went  to  the  house  where  he  had 
lived,  but  it  was  occupied  by  strangers,  who  knew  nothing 
of  the  family.  It  was  a  pretty  place,  situated  on  a  little 
stream  called  Cape-la-Cruce,  near  the  western  bank  of  the 
great  river. 

Although  not  a  great  deal  could  be  said  in  praise  of 
the  little  village  of  Port  Royal  itself,  near  which  we  were 
now  living,  it  would  perhaps,  be  safe  to  say  no  finer  citi- 
zenship could  have  been  found  anywhere  at  this  time  than 
in  the  country  around  it,  extending  into  Robertson  and 
Montgomery  Counties.  In  evidence  of  this  one  need  only 
mention  such  names  as  Fort,  Norfleet,  Northington, 
Dortch,  Baker,  Cheatham,  Washington,  Bryant,  Turner, 
Blount,  Bailey,  Johnson,  and  others,  too  numerous  to  men- 
tion. They  were  generally  men  of  large  stature,  dignified 
and  patriarchal  in  their  bearing,  many  of  them  wealthy, 
very  hospitable,  and   always  ready  to   assist  those  who 


114  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

needed  it,  especially  the  stranger  who  came  to  settle 
among  them. 

Of  these  some  were  professors  of  religion,  and  those 
who  were  not  generally  manifested  great  respect  for  it 
and  for  all  whom  they  considered  pious  Christians.  Most 
of  them  were  Carolinians  who  had  been  attracted  to  this 
section  of  country  by  its  noble  forests,  fine  springs,  and 
beautiful  streams  of  water,  which  caused  them  to  prefer 
it  to  other  portions  where  the  land  was  richer,  but  which 
were  less  favored  in  other  respects. 

A  mutual  friendship  and  esteem  soon  sprang  up  be- 
tween these  people  and  your  grandfather's  family,  which 
lasted  while  they  lasted,  and  descended  to  their  posterity. 
In  after  years  he  built  up  a  flourishing  church  among 
these  people,  called  Harmony,  where  he  preached  to  large 
audiences ;  and  there,  it  is  said,  he  delivered  some  of  his 
ablest  discourses.  It  is  not  to  be  inferred,  however,  from 
what  has  been  said  of  this  population,  that  there  were  no 
exceptions  to  be  found  among  them.  There  were  many 
wild,  rough  characters,  as  in  all  new  countries,  who  would 
drink,  gamble,  and  fight,  often  for  no  other  reason  what- 
ever than  to  show  their  pluck  and  muscle.  These  would 
sometimes  collect  in  considerable  numbers  on  court-days, 
and  at  elections  and  horse-races. 

Before  closing  this  chapter  I  will  say  a  few  words  about 
the  country  that  constituted  the  principal  field  of  your 
grandfather's  labors  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel  after  his 
settlement  in  it.  It  was  included  within  the  limits  of  six 
counties — Eobertson,  Montgomery,  and  Stewart,  in  Ten- 
nessee ;  and  Logan,  Todd,  and  Christian,  in  Kentucky. 
In  1788,  nineteen  or  twenty  years  before  we  came  here, 
the  territorial  o;overnment  of  Tennessee  authorized  a  new 


AFTER  THE   JOURNEY.  115 

county  to  be  organized,  taken  from  the  northern  portion 
of  Davidson,  and  to  be  called  Tennassee  County,  extend- 
ing along  the  Kentucky  line  westwardly  and  across  Cum- 
berland River,  embracing  quite  a  large  extent  of  territory. 
(See  Putnam.)  Clarksville  was  made  the  county  scat. 
Afterwards,  however,  this  county  was  divided  into  three, 
Robertson,  Montgomery,  and  Stewart.  Springfield  then 
became  the  county  seat  of  Robertson,  Dover  of  Stewart, 
and  Clarksville  of  Montgomery. 

The  northern  portion  of  these  counties  bordering  on  the 
State  line  is  level  or  gently  undulating,  and  the  soil  very 
productive,  yielding  rich  crops  of  corn,  wheat,  and  tobacco, 
producing  also  the  fruits  and  vegetables  peculiar  to  the 
climate  in  great  perfection  and  abundance.  Farther  south, 
bordering  on  the  Cumberland  and  Tennessee  Rivers,  the 
country  becomes  broken  and  hilly ;  and  in  early  times, 
before  the  forests  were  cut  down,  and  the  hills  left  bare 
and  unproductive,  it  was  quite  romantic,  in  some  places 
assuming  an  Alpine  character.  Among  these  hills  are 
various  minerals ;  iron  ore  especially,  in  inexhaustible  sup- 
ply, and  said  to  be  the  finest  article  of  that  metal  to  be 
found  in  the  world. 

It  would  not  be  easy  to  give  an  adequate  description  of 
the  beautiful  streams  descending  fi*om  the  hills  and  hur- 
rying along  their  rich  narrow  bottoms  to  unite  with  those 
still  larger,  and  thence  to  the  rivers,  bordered  by  a  growth 
of  poplar,  beech,  walnut,  wild-cherry,  sugar-maple,  buck- 
eye, hackberry,  as  seen  in  the  early  times. 

In  these  narrow  alluvial  bottoms  the  first  settlers  built 
their  cabins,  fished  in  the  streams,  and  hunted  among  the 
hills ;  often  cultivating  a  few  acres  to  raise  a  crop  of  corn, 
pumpkins,  etc.     Among  many  of  these  hills  and  valleys 


116  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

your  grandfather  was  the  first  to  carry  the  glad  tidings 
which  he  loved  so  well  to  publish. 

Tennessee  being  settled  mostly  by  emigrants  from 
North  Carolina,  was  considered  the  daughter  of  that 
state. 

These  three  counties  in  Kentucky,  viz.,  Logan,  Todd, 
and  Christian,  lying  on  the  state  line  parallel  to  Stewart, 
Montgomery,  and  Eobertson,  in  Tennessee,  resemble  them 
in  this  respect :  the  portion  of  each  nearest  the  state 
line  is  rich  and  level,  and  that  ftirthest  from  it  broken, 
hilly,  and  less  productive.  The  southern  portion  of  these 
Kentucky  counties  may  be  considered  one  of  the  garden 
spots  of  the  state ;  and  had  not  its  advancement  in  pros- 
perity and  wealth  been  checked  by  our  civil  war,  it  is 
probable  that  in  no  distant  future  it  would  have  borne 
the  palm. 

The  face  of  the  country  is  beautiful,  spreading  out  into 
wide  plains,  and  producing  the  same  crops  as  the  northern 
portion  of  the  three  Tennessee  counties  across  the  line 
opposite.  Its  value  as  an  agricultural  region  was  long 
not  even  suspected.  Being  destitute  of  water  and  timber 
to  a  great  extent,  and  in  many  places  nothing  but  grass 
and  a  few  stunted  trees  to  be  seen,  they  were  called  the 
"  Barrens  "  of  Kentucky.  Their  appearance  too  was  dreary 
and  forbidding  during  the  winter  months  as  the  bleak 
winds  swept  over  the  dry  and  withered  grass,  from  which, 
as  in  the  great  prairies  of  the  North  and  West,  there  was  no 
shelter  to  be  found.  But  even  while  this  idea  of  sterility 
prevailed,  during  the  spring  and  summer  months  when 
far  and  wide  the  ground  was  covered  with  deep  green 
prairie  grass  and  myriads  of  bright  wild  flowers,  the  scene 
was  one  of  enchanting  beauty. 


AFTER   THE   JOURNEY.  117 

When  its  wonderful  fertility  came  to  bo  known,  it  filled 
up  apace  with  immigrants  mostly  from  Virginia,  many  of 
whom  stood  high  for  intelligence,  wealth,  and  refinement. 
Your  grandliither  soon  became  greatly  attached  to  this 
people,  and  began  to  feel  deeply  interested  in  their  spiritual 
welfare,  and  they  in  turn  to  love  and  reverence  him  almost 
as  a  father. 

He  and  his  brother  ministers  preached  among  them 
with  great  success.  Flourishing  churches  were  organized, 
and  Baptist  influence  fully  established  over  all  this  beauti- 
ful country,  which  might  be  called  the  natural  home  of 
the  Old  Bethel  Association.  But  I  fear  I  have  detained 
you  too  long  in  endeavoring  to  give  you  some  idea  of  the 
field  in  which  your  grandfather  labored  both  in  his  early 
manhood  and  in  his  declining  years. 


6* 


CHAPTEE    XII. 

RED    RIVER   CHURCH  ;    ASSOCIATIONS. 

In  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Port  Koyal,  in  the 
year  1791,  about  fifteen  years  before  your  grandfather 
came  to  the  country,  a  church  had  been  organized,  known 
as  the  "  Red  River  Baptist  Church."  When  this  church 
was  first  constituted  there  was  no  meeting-house,  but  the 
meetings  were  held  first  at  the  residence  of  one  and  then 
of  another  of  the  members.  At  length  a  rude  meeting- 
house was  built,  such  as  was  common  in  those  days,  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  Red  River,  and  from  this  stream  re- 
ceived its  name.  The  word  church  among  the  Baptists 
was  generally  applied  to  the  members  rather  than  to  the 
house  in  which  they  worshipped.  In  those  times  the  cus- 
tom of  naming  the  church  or  meeting-house  for  the  creek 
or  river  near  which  it  stood  was  almost  universal.  Hence 
we  have  the  "  West  Fork,"  the  "  Spring  Creek,"  and  the 
"Little  River"  Churches. 

The  members  of  the  Red  River  Church — the  oldest  in 
the  Bethel  Association — as  their  congregations  increased 
in  size  and  their  circumstances  improved,  from  time  to 
time  built  houses  of  worship  more  commodious,  and  they 
have  lately  built  in  the  old  neighborhood  a  large  and 
handsome  edifice  at  what  is  called  Adams'  Station,  on  the 
railroad  leading  from  Nashville  to  Henderson,  on  the 
Ohio  River,  about  eighty  years  after  the  first  was  built 
118 


EED   RIVER   church;    ASSOCIATIONS.  119 

in  which  their  fathers  worshipped.  Verily  this  old  church 
does  not  seem  wanting  in  vitality. 

The  original  members  of  this  church — many  of  whom 
I  remember  to  have  seen  when  young — a  highly  respecta- 
ble body  both  as  citizens  and  Christians,  exercised  a  happy 
influence  in  their  community.  Most  of  them  were  Caro- 
linians and  members  of  Baptist  churches  before  leaving 
the  old  state.  They  soon  manifested  the  kindest  feeling 
for  your  grandfather,  and  had  heard  of  his  brothers, 
Martin  and  James  Eoss,  who  stood  high  among  the 
Carolina  Baptists  as  preachers. 

This  church  had  at  first  belonged  to  the  Cumberland 
Baptist  Association,  which,  on  becoming  too  large  for 
convenience,  was  divided  into  two.  The  one  formed  from 
it  took  the  name,  Bed  River  Association,  either  from  this 
church,  or  because  most  of  the  churches  that  composed  it 
were  in  the  country  watered  by  the  Bed  Biver.  The 
association  from  which  it  was  taken  still  retained  its 
former  name.  Of  this  famous  old  Bed  Biver  Association 
we  shall  have  much  to  say  hereafter. 

What  is  called  an  Association  among  the  Baptists  is  a 
voluntary  union  of  a  number  of  churches  of  the  same 
foith  and  order,  prompted  thereto  by  feelings  of  brotherly 
love  and  friendship,  and  a  desire  to  promote  the  great  in- 
terests of  reliirion.  Each  church  belonging  to  one  of 
these  Associations  is  expected  to  send  one  or  more  mes- 
sengers to  it  at  its  annual  meetings,  with  a  letter  contain- 
ing a  statement  of  its  progress,  present  condition,  and 
wants.  These  letters  are  read  publicly  before  the  body, 
and  give  it  a  general  view  of  the  present  state  of  all  the 
churches  within  its  bounds.  The  messengers  elect  their 
Moderator,  or  Chairman,  with  other  necessary  officers. 


120  ELDER    REUBEN   ROSS. 

Each  of  tliesG  bodies  lias  its  rules  of  order,  by  which 
its  deliberations  are  to  be  governed;  and  when  its  session 
closes  a  brief  synopsis  of  its  proceedings  is  printed  and 
distributed  among  the  churches.  During  the  session  some 
individual  will  be  appointed  to  write  what  they  call  a 
Circular  Letter,  to  be  printed  with  the  synopsis  of  the  next 
year,  and  sent  out  with  it.  A  subject  is  sometimes  given, 
on  which  he  is  required  to  write,  but  the  subject  is  at 
other  times  left  to  the  choice  of  the  writer.  Finally,  a 
place  is  appointed  for  the  next  year's  meeting,  and  the 
body  is  adjourned.  Petitions  are  often  sent  up  by  several 
churches  that  the  next  Association  meet  with  them,  and 
there  is  sometimes  a  spirited  contest  for  that  honor. 

These  Associations  are  often  very  attractive  to  the 
communities  in  which  they  are  held.  All  the  preachers 
belonging  to  them  are  expected  to  be  present,  and  while 
the  business  is  being  transacted  at  one  place  some  of  the 
best  preachers  address  the  people  at  another.  The  old 
brethren  in  the  early  times  were  delighted  to  show  their 
hospitality  to  brethren  and  friends  from  a  distance.  And 
families  in  the  vicinity  who  belonged  to  other  denomina- 
tions would  often  open  their  doors  to  visitors.  Most  of 
the  beauty  and  fashion  of  the  country  was  present  also, 
which  lent  an  additional  charm  and  interest  to  these 
meetings.  Many  ladies,  members  of  the  churches,  would 
travel  quite  a  distance  on  horseback  with  their  babies  in 
their  laps  to  be  present,  and  might  be  seen  days  before- 
hand converging  to  the  appointed  place.  On  their  return 
it  was  to  them  a  most  deliofhtful  task  to  tell  neia-hbors  and 
friends  who  had  gathered  in,  of  all  they  had  seen  and 
hoard.  Especially  would  they  tell  how  their  great 
preachers   plunged  into  the  deep,  dark  mysteries  of  re- 


RED   RIVER   church;    ASSOCIATIONS.  121 

ligion,  and  made  subjects  that  bad  before  caused  them 
to  feel  giddy  even  to  think  of  appear  so  clear  that  a  child 
might  understand  thorn.  And  they  would  often  return  with 
all  their  doubts  and  fears  dispelled,  and  a  deep  religious 
determination  to  press  forward  along  "  the  narrow  way." 

How  much  soever  Baptists  may  be  divided  in  their 
views,  in  other  respects  there  are  two  points  oli  which 
they  area  unit  wherever  found.  They  all  believe  that  im- 
mersion is  the  only  proper  act  of  baptism,  and  that  be- 
lievers are  the  only  proper  subjects.  They  think  the 
teaching  of  the  Bible  is  clear  on  these  points,  and,  there- 
fore, can  never  be  induced  to  abandon  them.  la  the 
next  place,  they  consider  every  church  a  separate  and 
independent  body,  and  that  it  is  answerable  to  no  other 
saintly  tribunal  or  power  whatever.  If  it  choose  to  con- 
nect itself  with  an  Association,  and  is  accepted,  well  and 
good ;  if  not,  it  can  stand  unconnected,  and  attend  to  its 
own  business  in  its  own  way.  But  although  opposed  to 
being  governed,  there  is  a  strong  tendency  to  union  and 
co-operation  among  them.  When  young  I  used  to  hear 
them  talk  a  great  deal  about  their  union  quarterly  and 
yearly  meetings.  At  these  no  business  was  transacted. 
A  number  of  churches  would  agree  through  their  mes- 
scngers  to  meet  periodically,  interchange  letters  of  kindly 
greeting,  and  worship  together  for  several  days  in  succes- 
sion. These  reunions  were  held  first  at  one  church,  and 
then  another  in  regular  order.  The  attendance  was  large, 
and   their  best  preachers  addressed  the  people. 

As  a  body  the  Baptists  constitute  one  of  the  leading 
Christian  denominations.  I  see  from  the  statement  of  Dr. 
Bailey  of  Chicago  that  at  this  time  they  have  17,445 
churches,  and  have  increased  in  the  ratio  of  one  church 


122  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

per  day  for  the  last  forty  years.  *  They  are  numerous  in 
England,  Ireland,  Scotland,  and  Wales.  In  Sweden  and 
Germany  their  increase  is  now  rapid.  In  the  United 
States  the  independence  and  simplicity  of  their  govern- 
ment and  worship,  together  with  their  religious  views 
commend  them  to  the  people,  and  it  is  estimated  that  one- 
fifth  of  the  people,  at  least,  are  under  Baptist  influence. 

In  regard,  to  doctrine  the  Baptist  denomination,  like 
many  others,  has  been  divided  in  sentiment,  and  to  some 
extent  is  still  so,  some  adopting  the  views  of  John  Cal- 
vin ;  others,  those  of  Andrew  Fuller  ;  and  others  still  the 
sentiments  of  James  Arminius.  Hence,  we  sometimes 
hear  of  Calvinists,  Fullerites,  and  Arminians,  among  those 
whose  general  designation  is  Baptists.  It  is  supposed 
that  a  decided  majority  of  the  Baptists  of  the  United 
States  are  in  accord  with  the  views  of  Andrew  Fuller, 
that  there  is  in  the  atonement  of  Christ  an  "objective  ful- 
ness" sufficient  for  the  salvation  of  the  world,  and  that 
this  "  objective  fulness"  is  the  ground  on  which  the 
gospel  is  consistently  preached  to  every  creature. 

Baptists,  it  should  be  remembered,  do  not  like  to  be 
called  by  the  names  of  men.  They  profess  to  derive  their 
views  from  the  word  of  God,  to  which  they  appeal  as  the 
supreme  standard.  While,  therefore,  they  do  not  under- 
value the  writings  of  good  men,  a  subordinate  place  is  as- 
signed to  such  writings.  No  persons  more  cordially 
adopt  the  sentiment  that  the  holy  Scriptures  are  the  "only 
and  sufficient  rule  of  faith  and  practice." 

*  According  to  the  "  Baptist  Year  Book''  for  1882,  issued  by  the  Am. 
Bap.  Pub.  Society,  the  churches  have  increased  to  2G,373,  and  the  mem- 
bers to  2,33(5,022,    This  large  increase  brings  with  it  great  resjionsibility. 

J.  M.  F. 


CIIAPTEE    XIII. 

RED     RIVER     ASSOCIATION. 

I  DO  not  know  the  number  of  churches  that  composed 
the  Red  River  Association  when  it  was  organized.  But 
in  1810,  they  amounted  to  twenty-seven  scattered  over  a 
wide  extent  of  country. 

The  number  of  members  was  1020.  Of  this  session 
Anthony  New  was  Moderator,  Wm.  Aingell,  Clerk,  and 
Elder  Reuben  Ross,  Assistant  Clerk. 

During  my  boyhood  and  youth  my  opportunities  of 
forming  a  correct  estimate  of  these  old  Baptists  were 
much  better  than  those  of  most  boys  of  my  age,  had  I 
possessed  the  requisite  discrimination.  Your  grandfather 
always  insisted  on  my  attending  the  meetings,  if  possible, 
hoping,  I  suppose,  that  at  some  time  my  attention  might 
be  arrested,  and  my  thoughts  take  a  religious  turn. 
I  not  only  attended  preaching  with  him  near  home,  but 
often  at  some  distance,  both  in  rude  and  newly  settled 
districts,  and  also  where  society  was  more  refined  and 
polished.  At  Hopkiusville,  Elkton,  Russellville,  etc., 
were  many  fine  Baptist  families  fifty  years  ago  ;  and  the 
impression  left  on  my  mind  is  that  they  were  worthy  of 
all  esteem.  Their  Christian  spirit  and  reverence  for  re- 
ligion were  every  where  noticeable,  and,  notwithstanding 
their  creed,  their  hearts  seemed  to  glow  with  love  and 
gratitude  to  the  Creator  for  the  great  and  merciful  scheme 

123 


124  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

of  redemption  through  the  sufferings  and  death  of  Ilis 
Son. 

As  far  back  as  I  can  remember,  what  I  considered  a 
fine  sermon  delighted  me  very  much,  and  I  am  even  now 
surprised  at  the  impression  that  remains  on  my  mind,  not 
only  of  the  spirit  of  some  I  heard  on  those  occasions,  but 
in  many  cases  of  the  words  and  sentences.  Next  to  the 
fine  sermons  I  was  most  interested  in  the  experiences  that 
used  to  be  related  among  the  Baptists.  And  though  I  rather 
considered  myself  a  very  good  j  udge  of  a  sermon  I  prided 
myself  on  my  opinion  of  an  experience,  and  thought  I 
could  tell  whether  it  would  pay  or  not  before  the  vote  was 
taken. 

There  were,  besides  your  grandfather,  four  preachers  of 
notoriety  in  the  Association  whom  I  remember  well,  and 
whom  I  have  heard  preach  many  times.  Of  their  person- 
al appearance  and  the  character  of  their  preaching,  I  have 
a  distinct  recollection.  These  were  elder  Lewis  Moore, 
Jesse  Brooks,  Isaac  Todevine,  and  Sugg  Fort.  I  will 
attempt  to  describe  them,  that  you  may  have  some  idea  of 
the  men  with  whom  your  grandfather  was  for  many  years 
associated  in  the  ministry. 

They  were  staunch  Predestinarians,  and  gloried  in  the 
doctrine  they  preached.  All  were  of  excellent  character, 
and  some  of  them  of  fine  talents.  In  point  of  ability  it 
was  generally  admitted  that  Elder  Lewis  Moore  stood 
foremost.  He  was  not  above  medium  height,  heavily 
built,  with  a  short  neck,  large  head,  full  face,  and  was 
rather  careless  in  his  dross.  Out  of  the  pulpit  he  had  lit- 
tle to  say,  but  in  it  he  was  certainly  no  common  man.  Be- 
fore coming  to  this  country  in  1728,  he  was  pastor  of  the 
Pv-eedy  Creek  Baptist  Church    in  Warren  County,  N.  C. 


RED   RIVER   ASSOCIATION.  125 

(See  Burkitt  and  Reed's  Church  History,  page  2G0). 
When  I  first  knew  him  he  was  pastor  of  the  Muddy 
Kiver  Church  and  of  several  others  in  this  country.  This 
church  was,  I  think,  situated  somewhere  north  of  Russell- 
ville,  Logan  County,  Kentucky.  In  liis  style  of  speak- 
ing he  was  nervous,  vehement,  and  sometimes  startling. 
He  seemed  to  carry  in  his  memory  every  text  in  the  Bi- 
ble from  Genesis  to  Revelation  that  bore  on  election,  pre- 
destination, and  kindred  subjects  ;  and  could  apply  them 
with  great  force  and  effect.  His  tact  in  explaining  away, 
and  weakening  the  force  of  those  texts  that  seemed  to 
militate  against  his  views,  I  thought  little  less  than  mar- 
vellous. His  irony,  too,  was  exceedingly  sharp  and  cutting. 
It  was  customary  in  those  times  for  the  preachers  while 
arguing  their  points  to  call  on  a  brother,  or  sister  even,  to 
say  if  what  they  affirmed  was  not  true.  They  would  do 
80  many  times  during  a  sermon  after  becoming  heated  by 
the  argument,  and  the  brother  appealed  to  would  sanc- 
tion with  great  energy.  After  piling  text  upon  text,  and 
argument  upon  argument,  and  making  his  position  seem- 
ingly impregnable,  he  would  say  : 

"  Tell  me  now,  Brother  Todevine,  is  not  this  doctrine 
true  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Brother  Moore,  it  is  true,  and  the  gates  of  hell 
shall  not  prevail  against  it." 

"  Sister  Owens,  is  this  doctrine  true  ?  " 
"  Yes,  brother,  and  bless  the  Lord  for  it." 
"  And  yet,"  he  would  continue,  "  there  are  men  in  the 
world,  and  not  a  few  of  them  either,  who  deny  the  truth 
of  this  glorious  doctrine  of  election  that  has  made  glad 
the  hearts  of  God's  people  for  thousands  of  years.  They 
say,  forsooth,  it  is  partial  and  unjust,  and    does  not  give 


126  ELDER  REUBEN   ROSS. 

every  one  an  equal  chance  to  be  saved.  Now  just  reflect. 
We  are  all  miserable  sinners,  conceived  in  sin  and 
brouglib  forth  in  iniquity  ;  and  if  we  had  our  just  deserts 
would  every  one  be  sent  to  hell,  and  that  speedily ;  but  Grod 
in  his  infinite  goodness  and  mercy  has  condescended  to 
elect  and  save  a  few  of  us.  And  instead  of  adoriuG:  his 
holy  name  because  all  are  not  lost,  they  are  raising  a 
great  clamor  because  all  are  not  saved.  A.  has  money 
and  chooses  to  give  B.  a  part  of  it.  The  money  is  his  own, 
and  he  can  use  it  as  he  pleases.  But  it  is  no  sooner  known 
that  he  has  bestowed  a  portion  of  it  on  B.  than  every  vag- 
abond in  the  country  denounces  him  as  partial  and  un- 
just, because  he  does  not  give  him  some,  too.  Who  is 
injured  by  this  ?  I  would  like  to  know.  Some  are  bene- 
fited, but  does  that  defraud  any  one  else  ?  One  man  makes 
a  feast,  and  invites  his  friends  to  come  and  partake  with 
him.  Those  who  have  not  been  invited  raise  a  howl  as  if 
victuals  had  been  taken  out  of  their  own  mouths.  Alas ! 
for  the  folly  and  presumption  of  human  beings  !  It  is 
really  past  finding  out." 

"  But  let  me  tell  you,  my  friends,  what  is  really  the 
matter.  I  am  sorry  to  say  it,  but  the  truth  is  the  Al- 
mighty don't  properly  understand  his  business.  That  is 
clear  from  the  mistakes  he  is  constantly  making.  Would 
it  not  be  a  blessed  thino;  if  he  could  have  some  of  our 
wise  men  to  assist  him  ?  Some  that  have  studied  Latin, 
Greek,  and  Hebrew  in  the  colleges  and  high  schools,  to  help 
him  provern  the  world  ?  Or  mio;ht  it  not  be  better  still  as 
the  poet  has  said  to 

"  Snatch  from  his  hand  the  balance  and  the  rod  ; 
Rejudgo  hia  justice;  be  the  god  of  God." 


RED   RIVER    ASSOCIATION.  127 

Then  would  follow  one  of  his  perorations,  or  conclu- 
sions, which  I  used  to  think  very  fine. 

"  But,  my  dearly  beloved  brethren  and  sisters,  let  not 
your  hearts  bo  troubled  at  these  things.  Your  bread  shall 
be  given  you,  and  your  water  shall  be  sure.  Your  house 
is  built  upon  the  rock.  Let  the  heathen  rage  and  the 
people  imagine  a  vain  thing.  Greater  is  he  that  is  for 
you  than  they  that  are  against  you.  Let  us  contend  earn- 
estly for  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints.  The  con- 
flict will  soon  be  over,  and  we  shall  be  where  the  wicked 
cease  from  troubling,  and  where  the  weary  are  at  rest. 
In  those  bright  mansions  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in 
the  heavens,  crowns  and  diadems  and  palms  of  victory 
await  you,  which  shall  be  placed  on  your  brows  Ijy  the 
Great  King  himself." 

It  was  delightful  to  see  how  happy  the  brotherhood 
seemed  to  feel  on  occasions  like  this.  Every  countenance 
was  radiant  with  these  inspiring  hopes,  but  no  hands 
would  clap  or  shouts  be  heard.  These  preachers  would 
stop  instantly  in  the  midst  of  one  of  their  loftiest  flights 
should  any  one  give  way  to  his  emotions,  —and  wait  for 
him  to  get  composed. 

Elder  Moore  believed  that  long  before  the  morning  stars 
sang  together,  and  the  sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy  at  the 
glories  of  the  new  creation,  the  Almighty  looked  down 
upon  the  ages  yet  unborn,  as  it  were,  in  review  before 
him,  and  selected  one  here  and  another  there  to  enjoy 
eternal  life  and  left  the  rest  to  the  blackness  of  darkness 
forever ;  and  so  he  preached.  I  do  not  think  he  lived  to 
be  an  old  man.  When  a  youth  I  used  to  pass  by  his 
dwelling  on  my  way  to  Drake's  Pond  Church.  His  resi- 
dence w;is  in  the  extreme  southern  part  of  Todd  County, 


128  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

Kentucky.  The  situation  was  low  and  flat,  and  had  an  air 
of  loneliness  and  solitude  about  it  even  during  his  lifetime. 
I  regret  that  I  cannot  tell  you  his  age  or  when  he  died. 

Elder  Jesse  Brooks,  though  of  the  same  school  of 
theology  as  Elder  Moore,  differed  from  him  in  several  re- 
spects. He  was  more  social,  cheerful,  and  pleasant  out  of  the 
pulpit.  His  coat  was  always  brushed,  his  linen  clean  and 
white,  and  his  boots  or  shoes  nicely  blacked.  He  wore  a 
broad-brimmed  hat,  made  of  the  genuine  fur  of  the 
beaver,  which  had  perhaps  been  caught  by  some  trapper 
among  the  Kocky  Mountains.  It  used  to  be  said  that 
one  of  these  hats,  with  what  the  ladies  called  a  "  little 
doing  up,  now  and  then,"  would  last  twenty  years  !  He, 
like  other  traveling  preachers  in  those  times,  used  to 
carry  on  his  left  arm  his  saddle-bags,  containing  his 
Bible,  hymn-book,  and  a  change  or  two  of  linen,  if  he 
expected  to  be  from  home  some  time.  The  umbrella  was 
carried  in  the  right  hand,  and  used  as  a  walking-cane 
when  not  needed  to  keep  off  the  sun  or  rain. 

He  was  above  the  medium  height,  and  his  frame  large, 
without  any  unnecessary  weight.  His  complexion  was 
fresh  for  an  old  man,  and  his  expression  mild  and  pre- 
possessing. Your  grandfather  used  to  admire  his  man- 
ners at  home,  which  were  those  of  a  pious  Christian  who 
made  all  around  him  cheerful  and  happy. 

I  think  he  was  a  silversmith  by  trade,  but  had  long 
since  quit  the  business,  except  as  an  amusement.  He 
once  put  a  very  pretty  silver  band  around  the  ivory  head 
of  a  cane  belonging  to  your  grandfather,  which  had  been 
fractured.  I  would  infer  from  what  I  used  to  hear,  that 
he  had  saved  enough  from  this  business  while  young  to 
make  himself  and  family  comfortable  in  old  age. 


RED    RIVER   ASSOCIATIOiT.  129 

Elder  Brooks,  like  other  Calvinistic  preachers  of  the 
(lay,  had  but  little  to  say  to  sinners,  as  those  were  called 
who  had  never  made  any  profession  of  religion  or  con- 
nected themselves  with  any  church.  Indeed,  they  seemed 
at  a  loss  to  know  what  to  do  with  sinners  any  way.  They 
were  tough  subjects,  and  they  seemed  very  much  disposed 
to  let  them  alone.  If  they  were  not  of  the  elect,  all  the 
preaching  in  the  world  would  do  them  no  good,  so  far  as 
salvation  was  concerned,  since  they  believed  Christ  died 
for  the  elect  only.  Why  then  preach  to  them  at  all  ?  On 
the  other  hand,  if  they  were  of  the  elect,  nothing  could 
prevent  their  being  saved.  They  would  be  sure,  sooner 
or  later,  to  come  into  the  fold.  Many  of  the  Old  Order 
of  Baptists  still  doubt  the  propriety  of  making  sinners 
the  subjects  of  gospel  addresses,  and  the  late  Dr.  Watson, 
who  stood  high  as  a  man  of  great  learning,  benevolence, 
and  zeal  in  religion,  (in  a  work  published  after  his  death 
called  the  "  Old  Baptist  Test,")  complains  of  his  brethren 
for  not  doing  so. 

I  have  heard  the  subject  of  hereditary  depravity  dis- 
cussed many  times.  The  argument  was  about  this : — 
That  we  are  all  parts  of  our  father  Adam;  and  when 
Adam,  who  was  the  whole,  sinned,  we  the  parts  sinned 
also  in  him ;  and  as  he  deserved  punishment,  so  do  we,  as 
being  Adam  drawn  out  at  length,  as  they  expressed  it.  I 
used,  when  a  boy,  to  try  hard  to  comprehend  this  mystery, 
but  never  succeeded.  We  know  that  one  can  receive  a 
taint  morally  and  physically  by  hereditary  transmission, 
as  in  pulmonary  consumption,  and  bad  tempers  and  dis- 
positions both  in  men  and  brutes.  But  how  one  can  be 
really  guilty  for  this  inherited  defect  is  not  so  easy  to 
conceive.      Sinners   were   advised    to   shun    outbreaking 


130  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

sins  if  possible,  such  as  horse-racing,  carJ-playing,  cock- 
fighting,  profanity,  drunkenness,  and  fiddhng  and  dancing 
especially. 

Election,  predestination,  the  nature  and  extent  of  the 
atonement,  the  final  perseverance  of  the  saints,  eflfectual 
calling,  and  the  glorious  and  happy  state  of  the  elect 
after  death  were  the  themes  on  which  Elder  Brooks  and 
others  loved  to  dwell.  In  lofty  style,  like  Elder  Moore, 
he  would  exhort  his  brethren  and  sisters  not  to  be  dis- 
couraged or  faint  by  the  way,  telling  them  the  day  of 
their  redemption  was  drawing  nigh,  and  that  they  would 
soon  behold  the  city  of  the  Great  King  in  all  its  apocalyp- 
tic beauty  and  splendor ;  their  spotless  robes,  their  golden 
harps,  were  there  awaiting  them,  which  would  continue 
to  shine  and  sparkle  in  unfading  brightness  when  the  sun, 
moon,  and  stars  shall  grow  dim  with  age  and  pass  away. 

Elder  Brooks  also  lived  in  what  is  now  Todd  County, 
Kentucky.  He  was  long  pastor  of  the  "  West  Fork  of 
Ked  River  Church  "  the  old  site  of  which  is  hardly  known. 
He  was,  I  think,  a  native  of  Virginia.  I  do  not  know  the 
date  of  his  birth  or  death,  though  I  have  taken  some 
pains  to  learn.  He  and  your  grandfather  often  traveled 
and  preached  together,  and  together  assisted  in  organizing 
churches  and  ordaining  ministers  in  the  early  times. 

I  have  taken  unusual  pains  to  recall  my  early  impres- 
sions of  these  two  old  pioneer  preachers,  who  may  be  con- 
sidered representative  ministers  among  the  Baptists  of 
those  days. 

Their  preaching  was  chiefly  directed  to  the  defense  of 
their  doctrines  and  the  feeding  of  their  sheep ;  that  is,  to 
comfort  and  encourage  the  members  of  their  churches ; 
and  this  was  done  so  much   to  their  satisfaction  and  de- 


RED    EIVER   ASSOCIATION.  ]31 

light,  that  the  aged  men  and  women  of  that  generation 
who  are  left  still  look  back  to  those  as  the  palmy  days  of 
their  church,  about  which  they  love  to  think  and  speak, 
though  now  comparatively  few  in  number. 

Of  the  soundness  of  their  doctrines  and  the  i)urity  of 
their  faith  they  had  the  most  exalted  ideas,  and  no  doubt 
many  of  them  considered  themselves  as  much  superior,  in 
these  respects,  to  the  surrounding  Christian  denomina- 
tions, as  did  the  ancient  Jews  in  comparing  themselves 
with  the  heathen  nations  around  them. 

But  there  was  one  dread  thought  that  often  brought 
these  old  Christians  low  even  unto  the  dust.  "  x\m  I, 
after  all,  one  of  the  elect  ?  May  I  not,  after  all,  be  mis- 
taken ?  And  if  so,  then  all  hope  is  gone  !  "  The  storm- 
tossed  mariner,  when  his  boat  goes  down,  may  find  a 
plank  or  broken  spar,  and  on  it  may  reach  the  friendly 
shore ;  but  for  him  who  is  not  of  the  elect  there  is  no 
plank  or  spar  or  friendly  shore;  he  must  sink  in  the  deep, 
dark  waters.  There  is  ground  for  believing  that  by  this 
dread  apprehension  the  reason  of  many  has  been  de- 
throned. Cowper,  one  of  England's  sweetest  poets,  was 
unable  to  bear  up  under  it,  and  Cromwell  himself,  if  I 
remember  rightly,  whose  iron  nerves  never  quailed  before 
mortal  foe,  trembled  at  the  bare  thought  of  this. 

I  have  heard  many,  whose  minds  were  filled  with 
doubts  and  fears  on  this  subject,  converse  with  your 
grandfiither  in  regard  to  it.  While  troubled  with  these 
gloomy  apprehensions,  they  might  often  be  heard  singing 
the  plaintive  old  hymn  : 

"  'Tis  a  point  I  long  to  know, 

Oft  it  causes  anxious  thought ; 
Do  I  love  the  Lord  or  no  ? 
Am  I  his  or  am  I  not?'' 


132  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

Their  fear  was  that  Satan,  who  can  transform  himself 
into  an  angel  of  light,  and  deceive  the  very  elect  them- 
selves, were  it  possible,  had  tempted  them  to  conclude 
they  were  the  children  of  God  when  they  really  were  not, 
and  that  they  would  ultimately  be  lost  after  all  their  fond 
hopes  to  the  contrary. 

Before  passing  on  to  our  next  chapter  we  will  add,  that 
there  was  one  theme  of  which  these  old  Christians  never 
grew  weary,  and  which  filled  their  hearts  with  unspeaka- 
able  love  and  gratitude.  That  the  Almighty  should  have 
loved  them  with  an  everlasting  love,  chosen  them  to  be 
lively  stones  in  his  holy  temple,  made  them  the  special 
objects  of  his  regard,  vessels  of  honor,  while  others,  as 
good  by  nature  as  they,  perhaps  better  by  practice,  were 
vessels  of  wrath  fitted  for  destruction,  seemed  at  times 
to  fill  their  hearts  with  love  and  gratitude  beyond  ex- 
pression. Had  he  shown  his  loving-kindness  in  this  way 
to  all  alike,  it  would  not  have  been  so  wonderful,  since  all 
were  in  the  same  lost  and  ruined  condition.  But  this 
act  of  peculiar  and  special  favor,  when  there  was  no  merit 
whatever  in  them,  that  they  should  be  made  kings  and 
priests  of  the  Most  High  rather  than  others,  was  unlike 
anything  known  before  among  mankind,  and  it  seemed  to 
them  that  their  hearts  ought  to  overflow  with  love  and 
thanksgiving  on  account  of  it  every  moment  of  their  lives. 
Indeed,  there  was  a  simplicity  or  artlessness  in  the  way 
they  talked  on  this  subject  that  was  really  interesting. 
Is  it  not  possible  that  many  of  them,  almost  without 
knowing  it,  thought  they  were  after  all  just  a  little  better 
than  others,  and  were  chosen  or  elected  on  that  account  ? 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

SKETCHES   OF    EARLY    AriNISTERS. 

Elder  Isaac  Todevine  emigrated  from  Virginia  about 
the  year  1785.  He  was  an  ordained  minister  belonging 
to  the  church  of  London  Bridge,  Princess  Anne  County. 
He  lived  six  or  eight  miles  north  of  Clarksville  when  I 
first  knew  him. 

According  to  my  recollection  of  him  he  was  short  of 
stature,  rather  thick  set,  with  a  full  round  face,  large 
black  eyes,  and  olive  complexion.  He  was,  no  doubt,  of 
Italian  extraction.  He  wore  what  was  called  a  round- 
breasted  coat  and  waistcoat,  short  knee-breeches,  and 
stockings.  His  shoes,  instead  of  strings,  were  fastened 
with  large  buckles  nearly  covering  the  front.  This  cos- 
tume was  quite  common  among  elderly  gentlemen  in  the 
early  part  of  the  present  century.  On  the  whole,  his 
appearance  was  rather  respectable,  though  his  motions 
were  too  brisk  and  quick  to  be  graceful  and  dignified. 

He  was  never  at  a  loss  for  subjects  of  conversation.  I 
used  when  a  boy  to  think  his  talk  very  amusing.  His 
utterance  was  distinct  though  rapid,  and  his  sentences 
short  and  abru[)t.  He  would  often,  when  no  one  was 
expecting  it,  commence  singing  one  of  the  fine  old  hymns 
of  Newton,  Watts,  or  Cow  per.  It  was  useless  for  any 
one  to  join  in  with  him,  for  no  other  person  could  sing  a 
hymn  of  the  same  length  in  the  same  time.  He  would 
7  ^  133 


134  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

finish  it  by  the  time  another  would  get  fairly  started. 
Many  times  late  at  night,  -whilo  in  bed,  he  would  break 
out  and  sing  one  of  these  hymns. 

He  lived  in  a  solitary  cabin  on  the  bank  of  a  prtitty 
stream  called  Spring  Creek,  on  account  of  the  nujnbor  of 
fine  springs  whose  waters  unite  to  form  it.  Some  of  these 
in  classic  times  would  have  been  thought  favorite  abodes 
of  the  nymphs,  "  domus  nym-phariLin,"  on  account  of  their 
romantic  beauty.  The  maple,  poplar,  beech  trees,  and 
wild  flowers  that  once  grew  around  them  have  mostly 
disappeared,  but  their  sparkling  waters  still  flow  on  as 
when  first  seen  by  the  pioneer  hunter  When  at  home, 
the  only  companions  the  old  solitary  had  were  his  horse 
Snip  and  his  dog  Pup.  The  farmers  of  the  neighborhood 
gratuitously  supplied  food  for  himself  and  his  two  com- 
panions. Your  mother's  father,  a  very  kiiid-hcarted  gen- 
tleman, often  filled  Snip's  little  crib  with  corn  during  the 
old  man's  absence.  On  returning  home  he  would  be  very 
much  pleased,  and  if  asked  who  had  been  so  kind  would 
say,  "Either  Charles  Barker  or  the  Lord,  he  didn't  know 
which." 

He  prepared  his  simple  meals  himself.  His  lady  friends, 
kind-hearted  and  good  as  they  ever  will  be,  supplied  him 
with  clothes.  Mrs.  Eebecca  Dudley,  who  lived  near  this 
old  hermit,  told  me  not  long  since  that  she  and  the  Misses 
White,  sisters  of  Willie  White,  Esq.,  all  of  whom  you  have 
seen  when  a  little  girl,  often  made  up  clothing  for  him. 
I  do  not  remember  to  have  heard  any  one  say  in  what 
way  he  spent  his  solitary  hours.  I  think,  though,  he  was 
fond  of  reading;  have  heard  him  speak  of  Flavel,  Top- 
lady,  Bunyan,  Booth,  and  Gill,  as  if  he  were  familiar  with 
those  fine  old  writers.     He  read  his  Bible  much,  lingering 


SKETCHES    OF    EARLY    MINISTERS.  135 

no  doubt  with  special  delight  on  the  passages  which  to  hia 
mind  established  his  fjivorite  doctrinal  views. 

When  tired  of  home  he  would  saddle  up  Snip,  lock  the 
door  of  his  cabin,  and,  together  with  Pup,  set  out  on  a 
circuit  among  the  churches  of  the  Association  to  which 
he  belonged,  and  they  were  all  kindly  received  wherever 
they  went.  Pup  was  permitted  by  the  kind  sisters  to  take 
his  place  at  meal  time  near  his  master,  who  would  from 
time  to  time  give  him  a  part  of  whatever  he  had  on  his 
plate.  The  young  darkies  waiting  round  the  table  thought 
Pup  got  a  greater  number  of  good  things  than  a  dog  was 
entitled  to,  were  quite  unfriendly  to  him,  and  often  gave 
him  a  kick  when  they  could  do  so  on  the  sly.  He  was 
a  good-natured,  lazy,  worthless  fellow,  but  none  the  less 
beloved  by  his  master  on  that  account.  Pup  used  to  have 
a  gay  time  at  the  big  meetings  playing  and  romping  with 
the  other  dogs  while  his  master  was  preaching.  The  old 
man  was  quite  uneasy  at  times  for  fear  he  would  leave 
him.  It  was  said  on  one  occasion,  while  preaching,  he 
looked  out  from  the  window  and  seeing  Pup,  as  he  thought, 
going  off  with  a  stranger,  stopped  short  in  his  discourse 
and  requested  one  of  the  brethren  to  please  go  and  bring 
Pup  back,  as  he  feared  he  might  lose  him,  and  then  went 
on  with  his  discourse  again.  This  reminds  one  of  the 
anecdote  told  of  the  venerable  Elder  Craig  of  Kentucky, 
who,  while  preaching,  happening  to  see  from  a  window  the 
limb  of  a  tree  that  had  a  crook  exactly  suitable  for  the 
frame  of  a  pack-saddle,  stopped  immediately,  told  his  au- 
dience the  discovery  he  had  made,  informed  them  that  he 
claimed  the  crooked  limb  by  the  right  of  discovery,  and 
then  went  on  with  his  sermon.  Such  crooked  limbs  were 
hard  to  find  and  highly  prized  in  those  days  when  pack- 


136  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

saddles  were  in  great  demand.  These  two  old  preachers, 
from  what  I  have  heard,  seem  to  have  resembled  each 
other  very  much  in  their  eccentricities. 

Every  morning  after  breakfast,  with  a  biscuit  or  two 
in  his  pocket  for  Snip,  the  old  man  would  go  out  to  the 
stable  or  lot.  Snip,  so  soon  as  ho  saw  his  master,  would 
go  u})  to  him.  He  would  then  ask  him  how  he  was 
getting  on,  and  whether  they  gave  him  enough  to  eat  and 
drink.  At  this  the  horse  would  lay  back  his  ears, 
indulge  in  a  low  whine,  and  paw  the  ground  slightly.  I 
used  to  think  this  was  carrying  things  a  little  too  far, 
that  it  looked  like  a  sort  of  witchcraft,  and  could  not  help 
feeling  somewhat  afraid  of  them.  Snip  seemed  to  expect 
something  to  eat,  and  would  smell  about  his  master's 
pockets  for  it,  which  amused  the  old  man  greatly. 

In  prayer  Elder  Todevine  was  quite  fluent,  and  on  that 
account  would  be  requested  to  conduct  femily  worship 
when  visiting  the  brethren.  He  would  commence  by  in- 
voking the  choicest  blessings  on  the  family  under  whose 
roof  he  then  was,  then  on  the  surrounding  community, 
then  on  the  nation  and  its  rulers,  then  on  all  men  every- 
where ;  and  finally  on  the  church,  that  she  might  awake 
and  put  on  her  beautiful  garments,  and  that  her  glory 
might  fill  the  whole  earth. 

He  and  the  darkies  were  far  from  being  on  good  terms. 
AVhen  preaching  on  the  duties  of  master  and  servant,  he 
would  take  great  pains  to  convince  the  latter  they  ought 
to  be  very  thankful  they  had  some  one  to  whip  them  when 
they  needed  it,  adding  at  the  same  time,  very  shrewdly, 
that  it  would  be  a  good  thing  if  some  white  people  had 
some  one  to  do  the  same  for  them.  He  would  tell  them 
that  a  good  whipping,  when  they  needed  it,  was  worth 


SKETCHES   OF    EARLY    MINISTERS.  137 

more  to  them  than  a  suit  of  new  clothes.  They  were 
highly  offended  at  this  kind  of  preaching,  and  called  him 
all  sorts  of  ugly  names.  Neither  was  he  very  popular 
among  the  boys,  as  he  would  sometimes  cut  them  up 
pretty  sharply. 

His  belief  in  election  and  predestination  was  unwaver- 
ing. According  to  his  theology  the  condition  of  one  not 
elected  from  the  foundation  of  the  world  was  as  change- 
less and  as  hopeless  as  if  he  were  already  in  the  bottom- 
less pit.  On  the  other  hand,  if  he  were  one  of  the  elect, 
neither  his  own  wrong  doings  nor  all  the  powers  of  dark- 
ness could  prevent  his  salvation.  Strange  that  so  many 
great  and  good  men  should  have  believed  a  doctrine  so 
terrible  !  And  when  Elder  Moore  or  others  would  preach 
one  of  their  powerful  discourses  advocating  it,  the  old 
man's  countenance  would  beam  with  delight  and  he  would 
say,  "  Glorious  day  for  viy  soul." 

Elder  Todevine  when  preaching  always  divided  his  dis- 
courses into  a  number  of  heads,  or  topics,  often  into  half 
a  dozen  or  more.  These  he  would  take  up  and  discuss  in 
order.  Sometimes,  however,  in  his  more  advanced  age, 
he  would  forget  some  of  them.  Might  not  his  method 
prove  useful  if  adopted  by  some  preachers  of  the  present 
day,  many  of  whom  have  but  little  method  in  their  ser- 
mons ? 

Many  years  before  his  death  he  told  his  friends  he  had 
had  a  dream  in  which  it  was  shown  to  him  at  what  age 
or  at  what  date  he  would  die.  This  dream  had  been  so 
strongly  impressed  on  his  mind  that  he  often  made  it  the 
subject  of  conversation.  According  to  it  he  was  to  die  in 
the  year  1821.  Early  in  the  month  of  March  of  that  year 
he  left  home  for  Blooming  Grove  Church  in  the  western 


13S  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

part  of  the  county.  On  his  way  he  stayed  all  night  with 
his  friend  and  neighbour  Mr.  Bryan  Whitfield,  who  told 
him  he  was  too  old  and  infirm  to  ride  so  far  by  himself, 
and  tried  to  persuade  him  not  to  go.  He  replied  there 
were  two  souls  there  he  was  to  be  instrumental  in  awak- 
ening before  his  departure  which  was  near  at  hand,  and 
Mr.  Whitfield,  supposing  it  to  be  one  of  his  fancies,  said 
nothing  more.  He  went  on  to  the  church,  preached  to 
the  people,  and  returned  home.  Some  days  after  he  rode 
over  to  Mr.  AVhitfield's,  called  him  to  the  gate,  told  him 
his  time  to  die  had  come,  and  as  he  would  rather  not  die 
at  home  by  himself,  he  would  be  very  thankful  if  he  would 
permit  him  to  die  at  his  house.  Mr.  Whitfield,  after  joking 
him  a  little,  invited  him  to  get  down  and  go  in.  He  did 
so,  took  his  bed,  and,  as  one  account  says,  died  the  next 
day;  another,  a  few  days  afterwards,  on  the  23d  of  March, 
1821.  One  hardly  knows  what  to  think  of  such  cases  of 
presentiment  as  this;  but,  as  there  are  so  many  on  record 
that  seem  to  be  well  authenticated,  it  is,  perhaps,  best 
simply  to  state  the  facts  and  leave  each  one  to  form  his 
own  conclusions  regarding  them. 

It  is  said  when  his  remains  were  carried  to  the  grave, 
his  dog  followed  them,  and  after  it  was  filled  up  laid  down 
beside  it,  and  remained  there  several  days,  until  Mr.  Wil- 
liam Watwood,  an  old  friend  of  his  master,  tied  a  hand- 
kerchief round  his  neck  and  led  him  away.  Thus  ended 
the  life  of  this  singular  but  interesting  old  preacher.  His 
name  has  nearly  passed  into  oblivion,  but  brings  back  to 
my  mind  "  the  memory  of  the  days  of  other  years."  He 
was  buried  on  the  hill  to  the  right  of  the  road  leading 
from  Clarksville  to  Trenton,  Kentucky,  just  before  cross- 
ing the  creek  on  which  his  cabin  once  stood;  and  far  away 
from  the  home  of  his  childhood. 


SKETCHES   OF   EARLY    MINISTERS.  139 

Elder  Sugg  Fort,  fourth  in  order  of  the  preachers 
mentioned  above,  was  highly  esteemed  and  popular  in  his 
day.  Ho  was  below  the  medium  height,  a  good  deal  dis- 
abled by  rheumatism,  of  a  pleasant  and  engaging  coun- 
tenance, and  always  neat  in  his  dress  and  person.  He  was 
much  beloved  by  all  who  knew  him,  the  young  especially, 
on  account  of  his  affectionate,  cheerful,  and  affixble  manner; 
and  of  all  the  preachers  who  visited  your  grandfather 
your  two  aunts  and  I  loved  him  best. 

Children  and  young  people  generally  used  to  stand  in 
much  greater  awe  of  preachers  than  at  present,  and  kept 
out  of  their  way,  if  possible,  fearing  they  might  be  ques- 
tioned and  lectured  by  them.  When  they  did  take  us  in 
hand,  though,  we  were  pitiable-looking  objects,  and  al- 
most as  happy  when  released  as  birds  out  of  a  cage  or  crim- 
inals when  reprieved.  This  was  not  the  case  when  Uncle 
Sugg,  as  we  familiarly  called  him,  talked  to  us  about  be- 
ing religious.  On  the  contrary,  his  manner  was  such  that 
we  liked  to  listen  to  him,  and  generally  felt  like  trying  to 
improve  in  consequence  of  what  he  would  say.  This  was 
because  he  divested  himself  of.  that  stiff  and  solemn  man- 
ner which  others  were  apt  to  assume  on  such  occasions. 
He  would  tell  me  sometimes,  that  he  intended  to  make  a 
preacher  of  me,  that  I  might  take  my  father's  place  when 
he  was  gone ;  but  I  must  first  become  a  good  Christian. 

He  and  your  grandfather  loved  each  other  as  men  not 
related  seldom  do.  They  were  both  born  the  same  year 
— 1776 — both  from  the  old  North  State,  and  from  adjoin- 
ing counties,  Martin  and  Edgecombe.  When  a  free  sal- 
vation to  all  who  would  accept  it  began  to  hd  preached  by 
your  grandfather,  which,  as  will  be  related  hereafter,  re- 
sulted in  his  separation  from  his  high  Calvinistic  brethren, 


140  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

Elder  Fort  was  the  first,  or  among  the  first,  to  enlist  in 
the  same  cause.  And  side  by  side,  they  passed  through  all 
the  troubles  that  agitated  the  Baptist  churches  previous 
to  the  organization  of  the  Bethel  Association.  They  trav- 
elled and  preached  together,  not  only  in  their  respective 
counties, — Montgomery  and  E-obertson, — but  also  in  dis- 
tant localities  where  the  people  were  destitute  of  Christian 
religious  instruction.  On  these  tours  they  were  always  re- 
ceived with  the  greatest  kindness  and  respect,  and  the  atten- 
tion paid  to  their  preaching  showed  that  the  religious 
feeling  among  those  early  settlers  was  much  greater  than 
is  generally  supposed. 

I  still  retain  a  very  pleasant  recollection  of  a  trip  I 
made  with  them  among  the  hills  and  valleys  of  Stewart 
County  east  of  the  Cumberland.  The  people  among  whom 
we  went  were  thinly  settled  along  the  pretty  streams 
borderod  by  the  rich  narrow  bottoms  already  mentioned. 
The  ridges  dividing  these  streams  were  often  high  and 
steep,  and  covered  with  heavy  timber  in  many  places  af- 
fording wild  and  romantic  scenery.  Uncle  Sugg  and  I 
had  a  great  deal  of  pleasant  chat  riding  along  together 
over  these  hills  and  across  the  streams,  while  your  grand- 
father would  often  ride  on  before  studying,  as  we  would 
say,  upon  his  sermons. 

They  usually  left  home  early  in  the  morning  for  some 
place  where  an  appointment  for  them  to  preach  had  been 
made  some  time  before.  This  was  generally  the  residence 
of  some  well-to-do  settler  or  some  rude  meeting-house 
made  of  round  logs  covered  with  boards  kept  in  place  by 
poles  laid  upon  them  near  a  spring  or  on  the  margin  of 
some  pretty  stream.  Here  two  sermons  would  be  preached, 
one  immediately  after  the  other  by  day,  and  another  some- 


SKETCHES   OF   EARLY   MINISTERS.  141 

wlioro  in  the  vicinity  at  night,  and    this  would  be  tlie  or- 
der until  they  returned  home  again. 

In  the  neighborhood  where  these  meetings  were  held 
all  business  was  suspended,  and  the  most  marked  attention 
was  given  by  the  audiences,  many  coming  from  a  distance 
guided  to  the  place  by  trees,  from  which  the  bark  had 
been  chipped  off.  On  the.se  occasions  the  hospitality  of 
these  people  knew  no  limits.  You  were  welcome  to  all 
they  had,  and  to  see  that  you  enjoyed  it  and  were  satisfied 
with  it  seemed  to  afford  them  the  liveliest  pleasure.  You 
were  sure  to  have  plenty  to  eat,  a  big  fire  to  sit  by,  your 
horse  well  cared  for,  and  the  best  accommodations  for 
sleeping  they  had. 

The  flattering  attentions  I  received  on  your  grand- 
father's account  showed  plainly  how  much  children  are 
indebted  to  the  good  name  and  respectability  of  their 
parents.  Yet  how  few  ever  think  of  this  !  The  child  of 
honored  and  respected  parents  has,  on  the  day  of  its  birth, 
what  the  child  of  the  poor  outcast  can  hardly  obtain  after 
a  long  life  of  good  and  virtuous  conduct 

I  imagined  the  preachers  were  abler  in  their  discourses 
among  these  people  than  when  nearer  home.  Perhaps  I 
was  not  mistaken,  and  the  idea  of  carrying  the  gospel 
where  it  was  seldom  heard,  and  to  people  who  listened 
with  so  much  interest  kindled  unusual  zeal. 

Your  grandfather  on  this  tour  preached  a  sermon,  by 
which  the  audience  was  greatly  moved,  and  which  seemed 
to  sound  in  our  ears  for  many  days  afterwards.  It  was 
from  these  words  :  "  Thus  it  is  written,  and  thus  it  be- 
hoved Christ  to  sufter  and  to  rise  from  the  dead  on  the 
third  day." 

Although  Elder  Fort  was  an  interesting  preacher  at  all 

7* 


142  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

times,  he  was  particularly  so,  as  I  thought,  when  he 
adopted  the  style  called  spiritualizing,  which  he  some- 
times did.  At  the  house  of  my  uncle,  Nathan  Eoss,  who 
then  lived  on  Saline  Creek,  in  Stewart  County,  he  preached 
a  sermon  of  this  kind  which  all  very  much  admired,  and 
I  think  I  can  give  you  some  idea  of  it  even  now. 

But  I  will  first  remark  that  it  is  believed  by  many  that 
much  of  the  sacred  writings  has  a  twofold  meaning,  one 
plain  or  obvious,  the  other  more  recondite  or  hidden,  and 
that  he  who  sees  the  former  only  has  but  little  or  no  con- 
ception of  all  their  marvellous  beauty.  Those  who  had 
fine  imaginations  and  could  perceive  and  elaborate  to  ad- 
vantage these  hidden  beauties  and  relations,  were  con- 
sidered as  little  less  than  inspired.  How  strange  that  a 
text  they  had  read  again  and  again  and  never  supposed 
meant  anything  more  than  just  what  it  said,  should  have 
concealed  in  it,  as  the  rough  ordinary  looking  stone  some- 
times has,  a  gem  so  rich  and  beautiful.  People  would  go 
far  to  hear  one  of  these  gifted  preachers  and  consider 
themselves  well  repaid  for  tlieir  trouble.  When  charac- 
terized by  good  sense  and  taste  this  preaching  was  very 
pleasing,  as,  beside  the  religious  element,  it  had  all  the 
charm  that  invention  and  novelty  throw  around  a  subject. 

At  the  time  alluded  to  Elder  Fort  took  for  his  text 

Exodus  15  :  27.     "  And  they  came  to  Elim,  where  were 

twelve  wells  of  water,  and  threescore  and  ten  palm  trees; 

and  they  encamped  there  by  the  waters." 

"  The  ordinary  reader  of  the  Bible,"  he  said,  "  will  only  see  in  this 
text  the  simple  statement  of  the  fact  that  the  Jews,  after  leaving  the 
land  of  Egypt,  while  journeying  on  encamped  at  a  place  called  Elim. 
where  were  twelve  wells  of  water  and  threescore  and  ten  palm-trees  ; 
and  could  find  nothing  more.  But  in  the  first  place  observe,  my  friends, 
this  journey  of  the  Jews  through  the  wilderness  to  the  land  of  Canaan, 


SKETCHES   OF    EARLY    MINISTERS.  143 

living  far  away  beyond  the  ilistant  Jordan,  is  IjcaiitifuUy  typical  of  tho 
Christian's  journey  through  tho  wilderness  of  this  world  before  he 
reaches  the  Jordan  of  death,  after  crossing  which  it  will  be  his  unspeak- 
able happiness  to  enter  the  heavenly  Canaan,  where  will  be  found 
pleasures  forevermore. 

"  You  will  observe,  also,  that  the  Jews,  just  before  reaching  Elim,  had 
been  encamped  at  a  place  called  Marah,  whose  waters  were  bitter,  un- 
fit for  use,  tending  to  produce  disease  and  death.  Need  I  tell  you  that 
Marah  and  its  bitter  waters  are  typical  of  a  sinful  and  wicked  state  or 
course  of  life,  which,  if  we  do  not  abandon  it,  will  result  not  only  in 
temporal,  but  also  in  spiritual  or  eternal  death.  Let  me  therefore  en- 
treat you,  as  you  would  enjoy  eternal  happiness  beyond  the  grave,  to 
leave  these  bitter  waters  of  Marah  and  journey  with  us  to  Elim,  and 
with  us  refresh  your  spirits  at  these  delicious  fountains. 

"  The  twelve  wells  of  water  at  Elim  are  typical  of  the  twelve  holy 
ai>ostles,  whose  writings  contain  the  waters  of  eternal  life  of  which  he 
that  drinks  shall  never  die.  The  doctrines  and  blessed  promises  to 
be  found  in  them  are  more  refreshing  to  the  Christian  while  on  his 
journey,  than  ,all  the  fountains  that  ever  gushed  from  Carmel  or  Leb- 
anon to  travellers  from  the  desert.  They  contain  treasures  hidden 
from  the  careless  eye.  Search  them  diligently.  They  will  make  you 
wi.=e  unto  salvation,  and  enable  you  to  obtain  an  inheritance  among 
them  that  are  sanctified. 

"  And  should  we  not  bless  and  magnify  the  name  of  our  Heaven- 
ly Father  who  has  given  us  these  living  oracles,  these  writings  of 
the  twelve  holy  apostles,  these  wells  of  water  at  Elim  to  refresh  us 
on  our  journey,  as  they  did  the  Jews  when  journeying  to  the  beauti- 
ful land  promised  their  fathers  long  years  before? 

"  But  did  they  find  aught  beside  the  twelve  fountains  when  they  ar- 
rived at  Elim?  Yea  verily  !  Threescore  and  ten  palm-trees  rising  above 
the  sands  of  the  desert  in  matchless  beauty,  casting  a  delicious  shade 
from  their  long  dark  green  leaves,  where  the  Jewish  host  might  rest 
their  toil-worn  limbs.  What  beautiful  emblems  these  of  the  seventy 
sent  out  by  Christ,  as  recorded  by  Luke,  to  publish  the  glad  tidings  of 
salvation  to  those  sitting  in  darkness  and  in  the  shadow  of  death." 

Thu.s  in  a  style  of  preaching  both  pleasuig  and  instruc- 
tive would  Elder  Fort  often  delight  his  audiences. 

On  another  occasion  he  preached  an  interesting  discourse 


144  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

of  the  same  kind  from  Proverbs  30:  26.  "The  conies  are 
but  a  feeble  folk,  yet  make  they  their  houses  in  the  rock." 

The  coney,  he  told  us,  was  a  small  animal  of  the  rabbit 
kind,  very  weak  and  unable  to  defend  itself  from  its  ene- 
mies, and  for  this  reason  was  always  found  near  large 
masses  of  rock,  in  which  it  made  its  house,  and  to  which 
it  would  flee  in  times  of  danger.  Here,  protected  by  its 
stronghold,  it  was  safe  from  all  its  enemies,  how  powerful 
soever  they  might  be.  These  weak  but  sagacious  little 
animals  he  considered  typical  of  the  Christians,  who  have 
chosen  a  tower  of  strength — the  Kock  of  Ages — to  which 
they  can  flee  in  the  hour  of  danger,  and  where  they  can 
rest  in  safety  while  storms  and  tempests  are  raging 
without. 

It  was  delightful  to  sit  and  listen  to  him  while  running 
the  parallel  between  this  little  animal  and  his  antitype, 
the  Christian,  and  bringing  to  view  so  many  interesting 
points  of  resemblance  between  them. 

Elder  Sugg  Fort  was  pastor  of  the  Ked  Kiver  Baptist 
Church  until  his  death  in  1829.  It  was  organized  by  his 
father  Elias  Fort  and  other  pioneer  Baptist  brethren  in 
1791,  and  is  the  oldest  church  in  the  Bethel  Association. 
It  worships  in  a  handsome  new  house  near  Adams'  Station, 
on  the  Nashville  &  Henderson  railroad. 

Elder  Fort  and  your  grandfather  lived  in  adjoining 
counties.  Their  fields  of  labor  were  consequently  nearly 
the  same.  I  well  remember  how  much  they  seemed  to 
enjoy  each  other's  society,  and  how  heavily  the  news  of 
his  fellow-laborer's  death  fell  on  your  grandfather.  They 
were  separated  more  than  thirty  years.  May  we  not  sup- 
pose there  was  joy  unspeakable  when  they  met  again  on 
the  shinine  shore. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

SKETCHES   OF   EARLY    MINISTERS. 

Besides  Elders  Moore,  Brooks,  Todevine,  and  Fort, 
there  were  two  others  who  occasionally  visited  us,  viz., 
Elders  Daniel  Parker,  and  Garner  McConnico,  the  former 
a  messenger  sometimes  sent  from  the  Wabash  As-sociation, 
Indiana.  The  latter  was  from  the  Cumberland  Associ- 
ation, Tennessee,  already  mentioned.  They  were  very 
different  from  each  other  in  many  respects,  but  both  were 
men  of  note. 

Elder  Parker,  I  think,  I  only  saw  and  heard  preach 
once,  which  was  during  an  Association  held  at  Spring 
Creek  Church  about  the  year  1820.  He  was  a  small, 
dry-looking  man,  of  the  gipsy  type,  with  black  eyes  and 
hair  and  dark  complexion. 

On  rising  in  the  pulpit  to  speak,  he  soon  gave  us  to 
understand  that  he  meant  business, — pulled  off  his  coat 
and  vest,  laid  them  deliberately  on  the  pulpit  near  him, 
and  unbuttoned  his  shirt  collar.  After  this  preparation 
it  is  almost  incredible  with  what  ease  and  fluency  he 
spoke.  He  seemed  full  of  his  subject,  and  went  through 
it  in  a  way  that  was  truly  wonderful.  He  was  an  able 
man  in  his  way,  but  afterwards  gave  his  Calvinistic 
brethren  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  from  which  they  have 
not  yet  fully  recovered.  The  famous  "two  seed"  doctrine 
originated  with  him,  which  heresy  shook  the  churches  of 

145 


146  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

the  Old  Order  to  their  foundations  lono;  after  the  Bethel 
Association  had  been  formed. 

It  seems  that  when  Elder  Parker  in  reading  his  Bible 
found  such  expressions  as,  "Your  fcither,  the  devil,"  or, 
"Child  of  the  devil,"  it  set  him  to  thinking,  as  did  the 
falling  of  that  famous  apple  Sir  Isaac  Newton, — which 
was,  in  his  case,  too,  attended  with  important  results. 

He  decided  in  his  own  mind  that  these  texts  were  to  be 
understood  literally  and  not  figuratively,  as  they  had  been 
heretofore,  and  that  without  any  figure  of  speech  Satan 
had  a  host  of  lineal  descendants  in  the  world.  And  when 
we  look  around  us  and  see  how  enormously  wicked  people 
sometimes  become,  this  fancy  of  Elder  Parker  does  not 
seem  so  absurd  after  all. 

But  in  order  to  make  out  that  Satan  had  children  in 
the  world  directly  descended  from  him,  he  had  to  adopt 
the  violent  presumption  that  the  souls  of  one  part  of 
mother  Eve's  children  were  of  celestial  origin,  as,  for 
instance,  that  of  Abel,  and  those  of  another  part,  as  that 
of  Cain,  were  supplied  in  some  way  by  Satan.  And  thus 
came  the  hoo  seeds,  which  are  now  so  mingled  together 
that  no  being  in  the  universe  but  the  Omniscient  can  tell 
one  from  the  other — the  wheat  from  the  tares,  the  sheep 
from  the  goats  — with  any  degree  of  certainty.  At  the 
last  day,  however,  a  complete  and  final  separation  will 
take  place.  Satan's  seed  will  then  be  sent  to  dwell  with 
him  forever  in  outer  darkness,  while  the  good  seed  will  be 
permitted  to  enter  into  the  joy  of  their  Lord.  According 
to  Elder  Parker,  the  devil's  children  were  the  non-elect, 
and  their  being  such  was  a  sufficient  reason  for  their  being 
left  out  of  the  plan  of  salvation. 

This  doctrine  was  received  with  great  favor  by  numbers 


r 


SKETCHES   OF    EARLY    MINISTERS.  147 

of  the  Old  Order  of  Baptists,  and  it  required  all  the  learn- 
ing and  talent  of  those  opposed  to  it  to  prevent  its  general 
adoption.  Any  one  who  is  anxious  to  look  further  into 
this  subject  may  consult  the  great  argument  of  the  late 
Dr.  "Watson  against  this  heresy  in  his  work  the  "Old 
Baptist  Test,"  before  referred  to.  He  was  a  professor  in 
the  Medical  Department  of  the  University  of  Nashville, 
and  one  of  the  luminaries  of  the  hyper-Calvinistic 
Baptists. 

I  am  not  able  to  tell  you  when  or  where  Elder  Parker 
died,  but  think,  when  he  used  to  come  among  us,  he  lived 
in  Indiana,  and  belonged  to  the  Wabash  Baptist  Associa- 
tion in  tliat  State. 

Elder  Garner  McConnico,  who  belonged  to  the  Cumber- 
land Association,  used  to  come  down  now  and  then  and 
preach  among  us.  He  was  a  large,  handsome  man.  His 
voice  was  singularly  rich  and  powerful,  and  his  talents  of 
the  first  order. 

On  one  occasion  he  had  an  appointment  to  preach  under 
some  shade  trees  on  the  banks  of  Big  Harpeth  Eiver ; 
but  there  fell  a  heavy  rain  the  night  before,  and  when  he 
reached  the  river  it  was  past  fording,  consequently,  he 
could  not  join  his  congregation.  He  spoke  to  them,  how- 
ever, from  the  opposite  bank,  and  told  them  if  they  would 
seat  themselves  and  be  quiet  they  should  hear  what  he  had 
to  say.  This  being  done,  he  raised  his  voice  a  little  above 
its  usual  pitch,  and  preached  a  fine  sermon,  every  word  of 
which  was  distinctly  heard  on  the  other  side,  notwith- 
standing the  distance,  and  the  dashing  of  the  swollen 
stream  against  its  banks.  Elder  Todevine  used  to  say  when 
.speaking  of  him,  "  Brother  McConnico  has  a  voice  like 
a  trumpet." 


148  ELDER    REUBEN   ROSS. 

The  following  sketch  of  him  is  condensed  from  an  old 
record  now  before  me. 

Elder  McConnico  was  born  in  1771,  in  Lunenburg 
County,  Virginia,  and  was  the  youngest  of  three  brothers 
His  mother  was  a  woman  of  great  piety,  from  whom  he 
received  when  young  many  kind  admonitions.  An  old 
Baptist  preacher  who  had  belonged  to  the  British  army, 
and  remained  in  the  United  States  after  the  Bevolutionary 
war  was  over,  was  instrumental  in  awakening  him  to  a 
sense  of  his  lost  condition. 

This  old  soldier  had  an  appointment  to  preach  in  his 
mother's  neighborhood,  and  she  requested  Garner  to  go 
with  her  to  hear  him.  To  this  he  objected.  The  request 
was  slightly  modified  so  as  to  take  the  form  of  a  eommajid. 
With  this  he  thought  it  prudent  to  comply.  He  hated  the 
very  name  of  Englishman,  having  when  a  youth  been  often 
compelled  by  the  British  and  Tories  to  leave  his  home, 
and  lie  out  in  the  woods  when  they  were  in  that  part  of 
the  (ountry.  And  he  determined,  if  he  did  go,  not  to  lis- 
ten to  a  word  the  preacher  had  to  say — his  mother  could 
not  make  him  do  that  any  way. 

On  reaching  the  place,  however,  he  concluded  to 
go  just  near  enough  to  look  at  the  preacher.  He 
proved  such  a  diminutive,  unsightly  dwarf  of  a  man,  that 
young  McConnico  felt  some  curiosity  to  hear  him  talk  a 
little.  He  did  so,  and  never  heard  mortal  man  speak  with 
such  power.  To  use  his  own  expression,  "  He  seemed  to  bring 
the  very  heavens  and  earth  together,"  and  when  he  came  to 
himself  he  was  standino;  near  the  old  man  in  tears.  From 
this  time  he  never  rested  until  he  embraced  religion,  and 
united  with  the  Baptist  Church  at  Tusekiah. 

Soon  after  this  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Walker, 


SKETCHES   OF    EARLY    MINISTERS.  149 

and  commenced  trying  to  preach.  lie  was,  however,  so 
disgnstod  with  his  efforts,  and  annoyed  by  the  ridicule  of 
his  brother  that  he  and  his  young  wife  left  Virginia, 
crossed  the  mountains,  and  in  1795  settled  in  Davidson 
County,  Tennesee,  hoping  to  get  rid  of  the  impression 
that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach.  Fully  resolving  never  to 
do  so  any  more,  he  enjoined  on  his  wife,  when  they  should 
seek  their  new  home,  not  to  let  it  be  known  he  had  ever 
presumed  to  be  a  minister  of  the  gospel.  Here  he  resided 
two  years  after  his  removal,  in  a  state  of  great  darkness, 
to  use  his  words. 

After  this  he  was  in  search  of  his  horse  that  had  strayed 
off  in  the  spring  of  the  year.  As  he  was  walking  along  a 
narrow  path  cut  through  the  tall  cane,  in  deep  thought  on 
the  subject  of  preaching,  he  saw  a  small  venerable-looking 
man  advancing  towards  him.  The  thought  at  once  came  into 
his  mind  that  this  was  just  such  a  looking  person  as  the 
apostle  Paul,  and  when  they  met  after  the  usual  saluta- 
tions, the  following'  dialoQ-ue  ensued. 

"  What  sort  of  a  country  is  this  we  are  in  ?"  said  Mc 
Connico. 

"  A  very  rich  woody  country,"  responded  the  old  man. 

"Any  religion  in  it?" 

"  A  few  scattered  about  here  and  there." 

"  Any  Baptist  preaching  in  it  ?" 

"  There  will  be  Baptist  preaching  in  it  next  Lord's 
Day." 

"  And  you  are  the  preacher  ?" 

"  I  try  to  preach  here  sometimes  for  want  of  a  better." 

Here  they  parted.  This  old  man  afterwards  proved  to 
be  Elder  Dillahunty,  a  pioneer  Baptist  preacher,  well 
known  in  that  part  of  the  country  in  the  early  times. 


150  ELDKR    REUBEN    ROSS. 

Young  McConnico  could  hardly  wait  for  the  day  of 
preaching  to  come  round,  so  great  was  liis  desire  to  hear  the 
venerable  old  man  preacher.  Punctual  to  the  time  he  was 
there ;  and  when  Elder  Dillahunty  at  the  close  of  his  sermon 
made  an  appointment  to  preach  on  a  certain  Lord's  Day 
at  Richland  Meeting  House,  young  McConnico  in  his  ex- 
citement rose  up  and  said  : 

"  And  I  will  be  with  you  there." 

"  And  who  are  you  ?"  says  Father  Dillahunty. 

"  The  man  you  met  in  the  cane  brake." 

"  A  Baptist  ?" 

"  Yes." 

"  And  a  preacher  ?  " 

"  Why,  yes,  /  have  tried  to  exercise  a  little  in  that 
way." 

And  now  the  great  secret  he  and  his  wife  were  going  to 
keep  so  close,  was  out,  and  he  was  in  great  trouble  on  ac- 
count of  what  he  had  done. 

At  the  time  and  place  appointed,  he  attended,  but  tried 
hard  to  beg  off  from  preaching  ;  Father  Dillahunty,  how- 
ever, held  him  to  his  promise.  He  had  not  gotten  more 
than  half  through  his  sermon  before  the  good  old  man 
rose  from  his  seat,  took  him  in  his  arms,  wept  aloud,  and 
thanked  God  for  having  found  a  young  brother  on  the 
frontier  both  able  and  willing  to  assist  him  in  spreading 
the  glad  tidings  in  the  wilderness. 

This  Elder  Dillahunty  was  a  Baptist  preacher  belong- 
ing to  the  Neuse  Paver  Association,  North  Carolina;  be- 
fore he  came  to  the  west.  (See  Burkitt  and  Eeed,  page 
309).  Richland  Meeting  House  where  this  took  place 
was  the  name  of  the  first  Baptist  Church  ever  planted  on 
the  south  side  of  Cumberland  River,  in  Davidson  County. 


SKETCHES   OK    feARLY    MINISTERS.  151 

In  tlie  fall  of  1797,  Ekler  McConnico  removed  to  the 
neighborhood  of  Franklin,  Williamson  County.  Here  ho 
built  up  the  Big  Harpcth  Church,  which  was  organized  in 
1800.  It  was  the  third  Baptist  church  planted  south  of 
Nashville.  He  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  by  this 
church  in  1800,  and  took  the  pastoral  charge  of  it  the  day 
he  was  ordained.  He  continued  pastor  until  his  death  in 
August  1833,  in  the  sixty-second  year  of  his  age.  All  his 
life  after  he  joined  the  church,  about  forty-five  years,  was 
spent  in  preaching  the  gospel.  He  loved  this  church  to 
the  last,  and  in  the  dying  hour  when  all  else  seemed  for- 
gotten often  repeated  its  name. 

One  thing  in  this  connection  strikes  us  as  a  very  singu- 
lar coincidence.  It  so  happened  that  he  preached  his  first 
and  his  last  sermon  from  the  same  text.  "  Examine  your- 
selves whether  ye  be  in  the  faith."  Probably  such  a  thing 
never  occurred  before.  It  seems  to  have  been  purely  acci- 
dental. 

At  the  organization  of  the  Cumberland  Baptist  Associ- 
ation he  was  chosen  its  Moderator,  and  remained  in  that 
honorable  office  till  his  death.  This  showed  the  high  es- 
timation in  which  he  was  held  by  his  brethren,  and  his 
ability  to  preside  over  their  deliberations. 

An  extract  from  a  notice  of  his  life  says  :  "  Elder  Mc 
Conuico  was  peculiarly  commanding.  He  was  of  a  stout, 
robust  person — his  face  intellectual — his  eye  penetrating 
— his  whole  demeanor  marked  with  perfect  dignity,  and 
his  voice  singularly  powerful,  manly,  and  pleasing." 

Such  I  remember  him  to  have  been  more  than  fifty 
years  ago,  when  in  the  prime  of  his  manhood  and  the  vig- 
or of  his  faculties,  he  would  address  us  while  sitting  un- 
der the  trees  during  the  pleasant  days  of  summer. 


152  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

The  happiness  which  those  of  the  same  faith  felt 
when  they  happened  to  meet  in  the  wilderness  is  well  il- 
lustrated by  the  account  given  above  of  the  interview 
between  Elders  Dillahunty  and  McConnico.  And  it  is 
altogether  unlike  what  is  felt  in  densely  populated  sections 
at  the  present  day.  Their  loneliness  and  isolation  caused  a 
thrill  of  joy  at  meeting  more  easily  imagined  than  de- 
scribed. 

Who  shall  describe  the  deep  feeling  of  brotherly  love 
among  the  few  men  and  women  who  met  in  Severn's  Val- 
ley, ninety  years  ago,  under  the  branches  of  a  primeval 
sugar  maple,  to  organize  the  first  Baptist  church  ever  con- 
stituted in  the  state  of  Kentucky  ?  The  men  were  clothed 
in  hunting  shirts,  leggings,  and  moccasins  all  made  of  the 
skins  of  wild  beasts,  and  wearing  hats  made  of  buffalo 
hair  rolled  round  oaken  splits.  The  women  wore  garments 
of  the  same  materials.  Their  descendants  who  now  wor- 
ship in  costly  temples  have  little  conception  of  the  Chris- 
tian affection  that  filled  the  hearts  of  these  strangers 
meeting  thus  in  a  strange  land. 


ClIArTEll   XVI. 

REMOVAL — OLD   SPRING   CREEK    CHURCH. 

I  TOOK  occasion  after  your  gramlfather  had  reached  the 
vicinity  of  Port  Royal,  where  he  remained  a  few  months, 
to  call  your  attention  to  various  subjects  which  I  thought 
would  interest  you,  viz.,  the  character  of  the  people  he 
found  there,  a  brief  description  of  the  country  in  which 
he  was  henceforth  to  labor,  and  a  notice  of  some  of  the 
Baptist  preachers  with  whom  he  was  associated  after  his 
arrival  in  this  country,  the  Red  River  Association,  and 
some  of  the  usages  or  customs  of  the  Baptists. 

It  is  now  time  to  inform  you  that  in  the  winter  of  1808 
he  removed  seven  or  eight  miles  nearer  Clarksville,  and 
went  into  a  cabin  more  comfortable  than  the  one  we  had 
left,  belonging  to  an  old  gentleman  named  Christopher 
Owens,  who  with  his  wife  were  prominent  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church.  They  were  in  good  circumstances,  own- 
ing land  and  negroes.  They  had  everything  plentiful 
around  them,  and  abounded  in  milk,  butter,  and  wild 
honey;  that  is,  honey  found  in  hollow  trees  growing  in 
the  woods,  and  called  on  that  account  Bee-trees.  The  old 
lady  was  very  kind  to  your  twin  aunts  and  myself,  and 
when  she  saw  us  playing  at  a  distance  would  often  send 
for  us  and  give  us  a  feast  on  milk,  butter,  and  honey,  and 
made  a  life-long  friend  of  me  by  the  way  in  which  she 
encouraged  me  to  eat.     Butter  at  our  table  in  those  times 

153 


154  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

was  rather  a  rarity,  and  I  had  been  taught  to  help  myself 
to  it  rather  sparingly.  Aunt  Owens,  however,  as  we  came 
to  call  her,  would  set  out  large  platefuls,  and  noticing  that 
from  the  effects  of  education  I  took  but  little,  told  me  to 
eat  just  as  much  as  I  wanted, — the  more  the  better.  So 
soon  as  I  became  satisfied  that  she  was  in  earnest,  I  did 
full  justice  to  her  kindness  and  hospitality,  and  thought 
things  were  beginning  to  look  something  like  what  I  had 
expected  to  see  when  we  reached  Cumberland. 

The  old  gentleman,  though  probably  as  kindly  disposed 
as  his  wife,  we  did  not  like  so  well,  on  account  of  his  rough 
manner.  Whenever  he  saw  us  out  of  place  or  in  mischief 
of  any  kind  he  would  say:  "You  little  heifers,  what  are 
you  doing  there?"  This  word  heifers  we  thought  had 
some  bad  meaning, — though  what  we  could  not  tell, — and 
always  took  to  our  heels  when  we  heard  it. 

This  year  your  grandfather  raised  a  crop  of  corn.  He 
labored  in  the  field  every  day  except  Saturday  and  Sun- 
day, which  he  devoted  to  preaching.  The  crop  he  raised 
here  was  very  fine,  and  the  luxuriance  of  its  growth  and 
abundance  of  its  yield  delighted  him  very  much. 

We  children  had  rather  a  pleasant  time  while  living 
here.  Our  cabin  was  near  the  river-bank,  which  was 
fringed  with  reeds,  whose  evergreen  leaves  looked  pretty 
in  winter,  especially  when  sprinkled  over  with  snow.  In 
spring  the  trees  nearer  the  river  put  forth  their  light- 
green  leaves  very  early,  forming  a  beautiful  border,  con- 
trasting finely  with  those  further  from  the  water.  Here 
we  first  saw  flocks  of  Paroquets,  called  by  Ornithologists 
"Carolina  Parrots,"  a  little  larger  than  the  common  tame 
pigeon,  and  whose  plumage  was  very  beautiful.  The  pre- 
vailing color  "a  bright-yellowish  silky  green  with  light- 


REMOVAL — OLD   SPRING   CREEK    CHURCH.  155 

blue  reflections."  Their  notes,  though,  are  harsh  and  dis- 
cordant. These  birds  of  bright  phimage  we  children  never 
tired  of  looking  at.  We  were  told  by  some  one  that  they 
slept  at  night  suspended  by  their  crooked  bills  from  the 
branches  of  the  forest  trees.  I  think  they  have  for  many 
years  piust  left  our  country. 

I  can  but  regard  it  fii5  very  singular  that  after  so  many 
changes  of  residence  I  am  now  living  almost  in  sight  of 
where  this  cabin  once  stood.  This  spot  seems  indeed  the 
centre  of  a  charmed  circle,  from  which  it  is  impossible  to 
escape.  All  things  around  it  are  now  greatly  changed 
e.Kcept  one, — the  beautiful  stream  of  water,  which,  like 
that  described  by  one  of  the  poets, 

"  Flows  and  flows,  and  will  forever  flow  !" 

A  few  years  before  his  death  your  grandfather,  while 
on  a  visit  to  me,  proposed  very  unexpectedly  that  we 
should  ride  over  and  look  at  the  place.  I  say  unexpect- 
edly, because  I  knew  he  never  liked  to  visit  a  place  after 
he  had  left  it.  On  the  way  he  was  quite  chatty  and  more 
cheerful  than  usual.  When  he  reached  the  place,  however, 
a  chancre  soon  came  over  him.  The  shadows  of  lonir  van- 
ished  years  no  doubt  began  to  pats  before  him.  He  sat 
on  his  horse  and  looked  around  a  few  moments,  and  then 
proposed  that  we  should  return  ;  few  words  were  spoken 
on  our  way  home.  I  regretted  I  had  not  dissuaded  him 
from  going  when  he  proposed  it.  So  depressing  was  the 
eflfect  upon  him. 

During  this  year  (1808),  the  Spring  Creek  Church  was 
constituted.  Their  meeting-house  was  near  Spring  Creek, 
a  tributary  of  the  West  Fork  of  Red  River  and  in  Mont- 
gomery County,  Tennessee,  a  short  distance  south  of  the 


156  ELDER  REUBEN    ROSS. 

State  Line,  and  took  its  name  from  the  prett}'  stream  of 
water  near  which  it  stood ;  it  was  on  the  north  of  the 
stream,  and  only  a  short  distance  above  its  mouth,  near 
what  was  long  known  as  the  Brumfield  place,  from  an  old 
gentleman  who  lived  on  it  many  years  ago.  A  road  leads 
from  the  south  side  of  the  creek  to  what  are  known  as 
Cobb's  and  Peacher's  Mills  ;  soon  after  crossing  the  creek 
it  fiasses  near  the  old  site  which  is  a  few  yards  only  to  the 
right.  Several  graves,  very  indistinct  some  years  ago, 
marked  the  spot  where  it  stood. 

North  of  the  church  there  was  a  grove  of  heavy  tim- 
ber owned  at  one  time  by  your  uncle  Charles  N.  Meri- 
weiher,  and  south  of  it  the  limpid  stream  in  which  so 
many  were  baptized  in  early  times,  nearly  all  of  whom 
have  since  passed  away.  In  looking  over  the  mutilated 
records  of  the  old  church  now  before  me,  among  others  I 
see  in  faded  characters  three  names — Sister  Barbara  Bar- 
ker, Sister  Mary  Meriwether  and  Sister  Mary  D.  Barker. 
The  first  your  maternal  grandmother;  the  second  her 
sister,  the  friend  of  your  childhood ;  the  third  the  friend 
of  your  beloved  mother. 

This  meeting-house  was  built  of  large  poplar  logs  hewn 
on  two  sides,  and  the  openings  between  them  in  some 
places  were  large  enough  for  a  small  boy  to  crawl  through. 
No  ceiling  intervened  between  the  rough  floor  and  the 
naked  rafters.  The  pulpit,  such  as  it  was,  stood  on  the 
north  side  of  the  room,  and  the  door  fronted  it  in  the- 
south  side.  It  was  a  bleak  place  as  you  may  well  suppose 
in  winter — "domus  veritoruni," — a  temple  of  the  winds. 
In  summer,  though,  airy  and  pleasant,  open  to  every  pass- 
ing breeze. 

It  was  built  about  the  year  1804,  three   or  four   years 


REMOVAL— OLD   SPKING    CREEK    CHURCH.  157 

before  wo  came  to  the  couiury,  ami  at  first  had  no  chim- 
ney or  fire-place  as  appears  from  the  following  extract 
from  the  journal  before  referred  to. 

"  Saturday,  October  3d,  1807.  The  church  met  in  or- 
der. Brother  Todevine  chosen  Moderator.  On  motion, 
it  is  ordered  that  there  be  a  chimney  erected  to  this  meet- 
intT-house." 

I  remember  to  have  seen,  even  after  a  chimney  had  been 
built,  large  fires  made  on  the  ground  near  the  house  in  very 
cold  weather  for  the  people  to  warm  themselves  by  before 
going  in  to  hear  the  sermon. 

The  members  who  worshipped  at  this  meeting-house 
before  being  organized  into  a  church  were  fourteen  in  num- 
ber all  of  whose  names  may  still  be  seen  in  the  journal. 
Before  the  Red  River  Church  received  its  name  it  was 
called  the  Fort  Meeting-house  Church,  and  the  fourteen 
members  who  worshipped  at  Spring  Creek  Meeting  house 
were  what  was  called  an  arm,  or  wing,  or  branch  of  the 
Fort  Meeting-house  Church.  These  arms,  wings,  or 
branches  were  under  the  supervision  and  care  of  the 
mother  church  until  regularly  constituted,  when  they  set 
up  for  themselves,  and  managed  their  affairs  in  their  own 
way. 

The  Spring  Creek  wing  in  1807  concluded  they  would 
like  to  organize,  and  petitioned  the  mother  church  to  give 
them  permission  to  undergo  the  necessary  transformation, 
which  was  granted  by  the  kind  old  mother;  a  presbytery, 
consisting  of  Elders  Jesse  Brooks,  Josiali  Horn,  Josiah 
Fort,  and  others,  was  sent  down  when  the  wing,  or  arm, 
was  organized  into  a  regular  body,  or  church.  This  was 
done  on  Saturday,  April  2,  1808. 

In  the  month  of  June  following,  an  order  was  passed 


158  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

that  it  should  bo  called  "The  Spring  Creek  Church  of  the 
West  Fork,"  which  name  it  still  bears.  On  the  same  day 
petition  was  made  for  admission  into  the  Red  River  Bap- 
tist Association.  This  is  a  brief  history  of  the  origin  of 
this  old  mother  of  churches. 

About  the  same  time  they  made  a  church  covenant,  in 
which  they  pledged  themselves  to  watch  over  each  other 
for  good,  to  maintain  the  discipline  of  the  church,  and  to 
try  in  the  most  brotherly  and  affectionate  manner  to  re- 
claim those  whom  they  saw  falling  away  and  neglecting 
their  religious  duties. 

They  also  agreed  on  certain  rules  of  decorum,  by  which 
they  were  to  be  governed  while  transacting  the  business 
of  the  church.  Many  of  these  rules  indicate  no  small 
degree  of  wisdom  and  forethought.  Your  grandfather  was 
upon  all  the  committees  that  arranged  these  instruments. 
When  finished  they  were  spread  upon  their  journal,  and 
frequently  ordered  to  be  read  by  the  Clerk  that  they  might 
be  retained  fresh  in  the  memories  of  their  members. 

They  next  began  to  think  of  choosing  a  pastor.  Ac- 
cordingly, on  Saturday  before  the  first  Lord's  Day  in 
September,  1809,  on  motion,  they  agreed  to  take  into 
consideration  the  expediency  of  calling  a  pastor. 

On  Saturday  before  the  first  Lord's  Day  in  October, 
1809,  the  church  appointed  Saturday  before  the  next 
meeting  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  before  entering 
upon  this  important  business. 

On  Saturday  before  the  first  Lord's  Day  in  November, 
1809,  the  reference  respecting  the  choosing  of  a  pastor 
for  the  church  was  taken  up,  and  it  was  agreed  that  it 
should  be  done  by  private  vote.  Whereupon  Elder  Reuben 
Ross  was  chosen.     On  motion,  it  was  agreed  tliat  Brother 


REMOVAL — OLD  SFRING  CREEK  CHURCU.     159 

Ross  should  have  some  time  tx)  consult  his  own  mind,  and 
report  whether  he  was  willing  to  take  upon  himself  that 
oflSce. 

On  Saturday  before  the  first  Lord's  Day  in  March,  1810, 
on  motion,  Brother  Reuben  Ross  is  called  upon  to  give 
the  church  an  answer  whether  or  not  he  will  take  the 
pastoral  care  of  this  church  in  conformity  with  their 
former  call.  Whereupon  he  answered  in  the  affirmative, 
with  this  consideration,  that  both  church  and  pastor  shall 
be  at  liberty  to  separate,  either  from  the  other,  whenever 
they  may  deem  it  to  be  to  their  spiritual  advantage. 
Thus  reads  the  old  record.  Here,  then,  we  see  that  in 
the  month  of  March,  1810,  your  grandfather  was  chosen 
Pastor  of  Spring  Creek  Church.  This  connexion  lasted, 
I  think,  about  twenty-nine  years,  and  seems  to  have  been 
an  unusually  happy  one. 

The  preceding  account  will  give  you  some  idea  of  the 
simple  course  the  Baptists  have  followed  from  the  days  of  the 
renowned  Roger  Williams — whose  name  has  been  forever 
rescued  from  oblivion  by  our  distinguished  historian  Ban- 
croft— down  to  the  present  time. 

Your  grandfather  was  now  becoming  one  of  the  most 
popular  and  influential  preachers  of  the  times.  He  was 
deeply  interested  in  the  work  before  him.  He  sympathized 
with  all  in  distress,  especially  with  those  who  were  in 
trouble  on  account  of  their  sins.  He  commenced  about 
this  time  his  work  of  preaching  funeral  sermons  more  ex- 
tensively, of  which  he  did  so  much  in  the  course  of  his 
life.  On  these  occasions  he  was  sure  to  say  something  to 
soothe  the  troubled  spirits  of  those  who  had  lost  their 
loved  ones,  and  to  turn  their  thoughts  for  a  few  brief  mo- 
ments, at  least,  from  this  land  of  shadows  and  of  death  to 


IGO  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

that  brighter  world  beyond  the  stars  where  all  will  meet 
again,  and  sin  and  sorrow  be  seen  and  felt  no  more. 

The  youths  and  maidens  w?re  pleased  to  have  him 
unite  them  in  marriage,  and  to  hear  him  pray  that  theirs 
might  be  a  long  and  happy  union  ;  and  those  who  had  re- 
pented of  their  sins  and  believed  in  Christ  desired  him  to 
lead  them  down  into  the  baptismal  waters.  In  a  word  he 
seemed  to  be  just  suited  to  the  people  and  the  times,  and 
his  influence  began  to  be  felt  to  an  extent  by  no  means  in- 
considerable. 

Our  rude  old  meeting-house  in  the  course  of  years  be 
came  a  center  of  great  attraction,  and  drew  to  it  all  classes 
of  people  both  far  and  near.  It  seemed  to  have  an  attrac- 
tion also  for  the  preachers  who  did  not  live  at  too  great  a 
distance.  Here  might  -  often  be  seen  and  heard  Elder 
Moore  dealing  heavy  blows  on  Arminianism,  against  which 
he  waged  ceaseless  warfare.  Here  Elder  Todevine,  with 
his  full  round  face  and  large  black  eyes,  seldom  failed  to 
attend,  and  here  were  seen  the  mild  attractive  features  of 
Elders  Fort  and  Brooks.  Still  later,  now  and  then  a  dis- 
tinguished preacher  from  a  distance  might  be  seen  there. 

I  remember  on  one  occasion,  on  a  cold  dark  day  in  au- 
tumn, while  the  wind  was  sweeping  through  the  large  open 
cracks  between  the  logs  of  our  old  meeting-house ;  and 
each  one,  with  his  neck  drawn  down,  and  his  coat  collar 
raised  as  high  as  he  could  get  it,  sat  waiting  for  preaching 
to  commence — a  dark,  thick  set,  substantial  looking  man, 
with  black  eyes  and  hair,  with  saddle-bags  on  his  arm  and 
umbrella  in  his  hand,  entered  the  door-way,  and  walked 
across  the  room  to  the  pulpit. 

On  reaching  it  he  spoke  a  few  words  to  your  grand- 
father (introducing  himself  no  doubt),  whose  countenance 


REMOVAL— OLD   SPRING   CREEK    CHURCH.  161 

at  this  expressed  great  delight,  and  a  warm  greeting  en- 
sued. The  stranger  then  entered  the  pulpit,  and  took  his 
seat. 

By  this  time  wc  lookers  on,  as  you  may  readily  suppose, 
had  our  curiosity  raised  to  an  uncomfortable  height.  After 
singing  and  prayer  by  y oar  grandfather,  in  which  I  fear  we 
did  not  join  as  heartily  as  we  ought  for  thinking  of  the  stran- 
ger in  the  pulpit,  the  latter  rose  up  and  read  from  his  Bi- 
ble these  words :  "  If  any  man  love  not  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
let  him  be  Anathema  Maran-atha,"  and  preached  a  sermon 
that  was  long  remembered  by  those  who  heard  it.  When 
he  came  to  tell  us  what  it  was  to  be  accursed  at  the  com- 
ing of  the  Lord,  his  discourse  bordered  on  the  sublime 
and  terrible,  and  many  fi  om  that  day,  as  was  said,  dated 
the  commencement  of  a  better  life. 

The  stranger  proved  to  be  the  celebrated  Elder  Isaac 
Hodgen  from  Kentucky,  who  afterwards  with  Elders  War- 
der and  Vardeman  occasionally  visited  the  southern  por- 
tions of  the  state. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

SCENES   AT  THE   OLD   CHURCH. 

The  first  Saturday  and  Sunday  in  every  month  were 
the  days  for  preaching  at  the  old  Spring  Creek  Church  for 
many  years.  For  some  reasons  the  May  and  June  meet- 
ings were  much  better  attended  than  any  others.  On 
these  occasions  the  people  from  all  the  country  around 
might  be  seen  moving  towards  it,  as  to  a  common  centre. 

Buggies,  carriages,  and  vehicles  of  every  sort  are  now 
associated  in  our  minds  with  big  meetings.  But  as  far 
hack  as  1812  and  1815  these  were  seldom  to  be  seen. 
The  first  thing  I  remember  in  the  way  of  a  pleasure  car- 
riage was  a  small  vehicle  without  top  or  springs,  called 
a  Jersey  "Wagon,  or  Carryall,  When  one  of  these  was 
first  seen  rattling  along — people — especially  children  and 
negroes,  would  stand  and  look  at  it  till  out  of  sight. 

The  next  improvement  was  the  gig,  with  only  two 
wheels,  and  drawn  by  one  horse  in  shafts.  I  first 
saw  elderly  ladies  riding  in  these  with  a  man-servant  on 
horseback  leading  the  one  attached  to  it  by  the  bridle. 
My  conclusion  was  that  none  but  very  rich  people  could 
afford  to  ride  in  this  style.  The  first  carriage  I  ever  saw 
in  this  country,  fitted  up  for  two  horses  and  an  outside 
seat  for  a  driver,  with  handsome  top  cushions  and  silver- 
mounted  harness,  belonged  to  two  or  three  maiden  sisters, 
who  came,  I  think,  from  Virginia  and  settled  near  us  in 
1G2 


SCENES   AT   THE   OLD   CHURCH,  163 

the  Barrens.  This  w:is  considered  by  us  juveniles  as  a 
marvel  of  elegance  and  splendor,  and  after  the  ladies 
would  leave  it  and  go  into  church,  rustling  in  their  silks, 
we  would  stand  around  at  a  respectful  distance  and  ad- 
mire its  beauty.  But  this  was  long  after  the  time  of 
which  we  are  speaking. 

You  would  see  pater-familias  on  his  way  to  church  on 
horseback,  with  the  baby  before  him  on  a  pillow,  and 
another  little  fellow  riding  behind  him.  His  wife,  per- 
haps, on  a  mare  with  a  young  colt,  with  one  child  in  her 
lap,  and  another  behind  her  also,  jogging  along  after  him. 
Most  of   the   horses  would  have  two  persons  on  them. 

The  beau  might  be  seen  with  a  large  bunch  of  pinks  or 
roses  in  his  button-hole — the  larsrer  the  better — ridinj^ 
beside  his  young  lady,  holding  her  parasol  or  umbrella 
over  her  fair  face  to  protect  it  from  the  sun  or  rain.  It 
was  also  his  duty  to  raise  any  branches  of  trees  that  ex- 
tended across  the  narrow  road,  that  she  might  pass  without 
inconvenience.  Some  were  more  expert  in  the.se  matters 
than  others,   and  gained  credit  in  proportion. 

There  was  a  practice  the  beaux  had  which  they  called 
"cutting  out."  This  was  when  a  young  lady  and  gentle- 
man were  riding  along  cosily  together,  and  anything 
happened  to  throw  them  a  little  apart,  for  another  gentle- 
man who  was  riding  close  behind  to  slip  in  between  them 
and  leave  the  first  out  in  the  cold.  This,  I  think,  was  a 
very  ugly  practice,  but  by  common  consent  considered 
"  fair  play,"  if  it  could  be  done  without  jostling  the  young 
lady.  When  she  happened  to  be  a  sort  of  belle  there  was 
quite  a  scramble  for  her  in  this  way.  It  was  considered 
unladylike  for  her  to  show  any  preference  on  such  occa- 
sions, however  much  she  might  feel. 


164  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

It  was  the  duty  of  these  knights  to  see  that  their  ladies 
did  not  suffer  from  thirst  during  the  long  hot  days,  and 
they  might  he  seen  at  all  times  passing  through  the 
crowd  carrying  them  fresh  water  from  the  spring  which 
they  often  drank  from  a  gourd.  These  gourds  were 
sometimes  very  pretty,  and  many  thought  water  from 
them  tasted  sweeter  and  fresher  than  from  anything  else. 

Almost  every  mother  carried  her  baby  with  her  to  meet- 
ing, and  at  the  big  meetings  they  would  be  in  great  force. 
These  little  fellows  on  account  of  the  heat  and  the  re- 
straint would  sometimes  become  furious,  and  make  their 
little  fat  legs  fly  about  at  a  wild  rate;  and  when  a  num- 
ber of  them  would  join  in  concert,  they  would  almost 
drown  the  voice  of  the  preacher.  After  the  mother  had 
done  all  she  could  to  pacify  the  babe  and  foiled,  she  would 
hand  it  over  to  its  father,  Avho,  if  after  trying  in  a  very 
motherly  way  to  soothe  it  did  not  succeed,  would  take 
it  on  his  shoulder,  and  walk  off  under  some  shady  tree, 
where  perhaps  soon  after  both  might  be  found  fast  asleep. 

The  dress  of  these  belles  some  years  later  was  very 
striking.  They  had  two  appendages  attached  to  them 
called  sleeves,  about  the  size  of  large  pillows,  which  had 
the  efifect  to  make  them  look  like  birds  with  enormous 
wings,  beyond  all  proportion  to  the  body.  The  head  was 
ornamented  with  a  Leghorn  hat,  or  flat,  with  a  brim  of 
prodigious  size.  Its  only  trimming  was  a  broad  bright 
ribbon  which  passed  round  the  crown,  with  long  ends  which 
hung  down  behind  a  yard  or  more. 

These  hat=5  were  costly,  selling  sometimes  for  thirty- 
five  or  forty  dollars,  or  even  higher.  They  were  greatly 
prized  by  the  girls.  The  effect  of  these  hats  with  the 
broad  brims  and  these  large  sleeves  was  to  diminish  the 


SCENES  AT  THE   OLD   CHURCH.  165 

stature;  and  a  lady,  a  little  below  the  medium  height, 
sailing  along  under  one  of  them,  was  a  queer-looking  ob- 
ject. Yet  a  kind  word  or  approving  smile  from  one  of 
these  beauties,  was  as  much  prized  as  when  arrayed  in  the 
beautiful  costumes  of  later  times — those  of  1871  and  1872 
excepted,  which  in  hideousnoss  excel  all  ever  known  be- 
fore; causing  them  to  look  as  if  their  backs  were  broken. 
There  were  several  families  in  the  vicinity  of  this  church 
whose  custom  it  was  to  take  people  home  with  them  to 
dine  after  preaching.  The  more  company  they  could 
engage  the  more  delighted  they  seemed.  They  would 
often  come  to  you  before  getting  off  your  horse  and  make 
you  promise  beforehand  to  go  home  with  them. 

I  and  my  set  usually  went  home  with  an  old  gentleman 
named  Buckner  Killebrew.  On  reachinsr  the  house,  after 
helping  their  sweethearts  off  their  horses,  each  young  man 
would  take  off  his  saddle,  bridle,  and  blanket,  and  lay  them 
by  themselves.  Then  he  would  turn  his  horse  into  a  large 
enclosure,  where  would  be  a  number  of  troughs  filled  with 
corn  and  pumpkins,  and  racks  full  of  sweet  blades  of  fodder 
stripped  from  the  stalks  of  Indian  corn.  Here  the  horses 
would  fight,  and  eat  all  the  evening.  If  one  was  whipped 
off  from  his  trough,  he  would  go  and  drive  another  from 
his,  take  his  place,  and  so  on  all  round. 

On  going  into  the  house  all  would  be  invited  to  "  take 
something."  "What  they  called  something  at  this  place, 
was  commonly  old  peach  or  apple  brandy  and  honey.  All 
from  the  old  men  and  preachers  down  to  the  boys,  would 
help  themselves  to  some  of  this.  You  must  not  be  sur- 
prised, for  besides  the  belief  that  something  of  this  kind 
was  conducive  to  health,  we  were  every  one  old  Calvinistic 
Baptists  at  that  time,  all  of  whom  are  supposed  6y  na^^^rg 

8* 


IGG  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

to  like  something  good  to  drink.  And  Temperance  societies 
and  everything  of  that  sort  were  no  more  dreamed  of  than 
railroads,  telegraphs,  or  ocean  cables. 

After  this  preliminary  movement  we  were  invited  to  a 
dinner  that  it  would  do  any  one's  heart  good  to  look  at. 
The  table  would  be  literally  covered  with  good  things,  so 
that  there  was  not  room  enough  on  it  for  another  plate  or 
dish.  But  the  most  interesting  thing  of  all  was  the  pleas- 
ure it  gave  our  old  friend  and  his  wife  to  see  us  eat.  They 
watched  us  closely,  and  when  they  saw  one  about  to  quit 
were  really  distressed.  This  may  seem  like  exaggeration, 
but  I  could  mention  some  that  even  you  can  remember 
who  were  sorely  troubled  if  their  friends  did  not  eat  heart- 
ily of  their  bountiful  tables. 

After  the  first  course  was  ended  no  one  was  permitted 
to  leave  his  seat  until  the  debris  of  the  first  battle  were 
swept  away,  and  pies,  cakes,  and  tarts  brought  on.  These 
were  of  various  flavors — some  very  sweet,  some  quite  acid, 
and  others  less  so.  The  shapes  also  differed  :  some  were 
round  like  the  full  moon,  some  like  the  half  moon,  and 
others  again  crescent-shaped,  interspersed  with  pitchers  of 
cider,  and  cold  sweet  milk  not  with  the  cream  all  taken 
off",  as  is  often  done  "  in  these  degenerate  days." 

At  length  the  feast  ended,  as  everything  good  and 
beautiful  must  in  this  world.  After  this  we  would  have 
some  pleasant  chat,  in  which  the  host  and  hostess  took 
part.  Then  some  one  of  the  company  would  say,  "  The 
sun  is  getting  low"  which  was,  alas,  too  true,  and  a  slight 
shade  of  sadness  might  be  seen  stealing  over  our  faces, 
and  our  party  would  break  up  and  all  start  for  home,  sad, 
to  think  another  long  month  must  pass  before  we  should 
meet  again. 


SCENES   AT   THE   OLD   CnURCII.  167 

I  will  only  add  that  the  last  timo  I  passed  the  place 
where  this  hospitable  mansion  stood — it  had  fallen  into 
decay  and  ruins,  and  all  around  it  looked  sad  and  lonely. 
"  Sic  transit." 

Such  are  some  of  the  recollections,  still  fresh  in  my 
memory,  connected  with  this  old  church  in  the  bygone 
times. 

In  process  of  time  when  the  wants  of  the  community 
required  it,  the  members,  assisted  by  their  neighbors  and 
friends,  decided  to  build  a  more  commodious  house  of  wor- 
ship. Accordingly  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  same  creek, 
a  few  miles  distant  and  to  the  east  of  the  old  site,  near 
what  was  known  as  Booth  Malone's  spring,  another  was 
built  retaining  the  same  name.  This  also  in  course  of 
time,  after  the  country  became  more  densely  populated, 
was  found  to  be  too  small  and  inconvenient,  and  another 
was  erected  still  farther  to  the  east,  on  the  road  leading 
from  Clarksville,  Tennessee  to  Trenton,  Kentucky.  It  is  a 
very  pretty  country  church,  and  among  its  members  may 
be  seen  on  meeting  days  many  of  the  descendants  of  those 
who  met  at  the  old  log  meeting-house  first  built.  Some 
time  after  the  first  house  had  been  abandoned  an  elderly 
lady,  distinguished  for  her  piety  and  deep  religious  feeling, 
remembering  the  happy  days  she  had  spent  within  its 
walls,  had  it  removed  and  rebuilt  at  her  own  cost  near  her 
own  residence,  hoping  that  some  of  her  old  brethren  in  the 
ministry  would  continue  to  preach  there  occasionally.  But 
its  glory  had  departed,  and  it  soon  ceased  to  be  known  as 
a  place  of  worship  altogether.  It  stood  on  the  right  side 
of  the  road  leading  down  the  creek  from  where  your  grand- 
father lived,  on  the  land  owned  at  present,  I  think,  by  the 
Hacknev  familv. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

LIFE  IN  STEWART  COUNTY. 

We  must  now  return  again  to  your  grandfather,  whom 
we  left  at  the  "Owens'  Pkxce"  on  Red  River  in  1808, 
where  he  made  a  crop  of  corn. 

In  the  fall  of  that  year  a  land-owner,  or  land-agent, 
called  on  him  and  told  him  of  some  valuable  land  he  had 
for  sale  in  Stewart  County,  near  the  Cumberland  River, 
on  Saline  Creek,  and  advised  him  to  go  and  look  at  it. 
He  did  so,  and  was  so  well  pleased  that  he  made  a  pur- 
chase. I  do  not  remember  either  the  number  of  acres  he 
bought  or  the  price  he  paid  for  it. 

His  brother,  Nathan  Ross,  who  had  moved  to  this 
country  this  year,  also  purchased  land  and  settled  in  the 
same  neighborhood,  at  which  your  grandfather  was  very 
much  gratified.  With  this  purchase  he  was  well  pleased, 
and  hoped  he  had  now  found  a  home  and  resting-place  for 
himself  and  family,  and  that  his  wanderings  were  at  last 
ended. 

On  returning  home  he  gathered  his  crop  of  corn,  and 
sold  it  to  a  man  named  Duval,  who  soon  afterwards  failed, 
and  the  money  he  expected  to  receive  for  it  was  lost. 
This  man  Duval  built  the  first  brick  court-house  in 
Clarksville,  which  stood  so  many  years  on  the  public 
square,  and  was  long  considered  the  chief  ornament  of  the 
place.  The  crop,  I  think,  amounted  to  a  hundred  barrels, 
168 


LIFE   IN   STEWART   COUNTY.  109 

and  the  price  was  one  dollar  per  barrel.  I  need  not  say  that 
this  was  a  heavy  loss  to  your  grandfather  at  this  time, 
when  the  price  of  the  corn  was  so  much  needed.  He  soon 
after  removed  to  Stewart  County,  into  the  neighborhood 
of  his  land,  and  went  into  a  cabin  where  a  man  named 
Outlaw  had  been  killed  a  short  time  before  by  lightning, 
while  standing  on  the  hearth  near  the  fire.  The  place 
where  the  lightning  entered  through  the  roof  was  still 
visible.  We  children  begged  hard  not  to  be  carried  into 
a  place  of  such  evil  omen,  but  there  was  no  help  for  it,  as 
the  weather  was  bitterly  cold,  and  there  were  no  improve- 
ments at  all  on  our  land.  We  always  felt  ill  at  ease  in 
this  house,  and  often  looked  up  at  the  roof  with  a 
shudder. 

The  winter  of  1808  and  9  was  so  cold  and  inclement 
that  but  little  out-door  work  could  be  done.  The  most 
important  enterprise  we  undertook  at  that  time  was  pre- 
paring a  sugar  camp.  There  were  a  great  many  sugar 
maples  on  our  land,  and  your  grandfather  wished  to  make 
a  supply  of  sugar  from  them  for  his  family. 

The  old  pioneer  arrangement  for  making  sugar  was  very 
simple.  A  rude  shelter  was  made  with  boards  for  protec- 
tion from  rain  and  snow ;  under  this  a  trench  was  dug  in 
the  ground  as  a  sort  of  furnace,  and  over  it  boilers  of  every 
kind  which  could  be  obtained  were  placed  so  that  a  hot 
fire  could  be  made  under  them.  A  sort  of  pocket-shaped 
notch  was  then  cut  in  the  tree  to  catch  the  sap,  which 
was  conducted  off  through  reeds  or  pieces  of  elder-stalk 
into  small  wooden  troughs  made  for  that  purpose. 

When  sap  enough  had  collected,  it  was  put  into  the 
boilers  and  boiled  down  to  a  certain  consistence,  and  then 
set  off  to  cool  slowly  and  in  order  to  make  cake  sugar; 


170  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

but  if  the  intention  was  to  make  granulated  sugar,  it  was 
stirred  while  cooling. 

In  this  way  fomilies  often  made  more  sugar  than  they 
needed  for  their  own  use.  While  the  sugar-making  was 
going  on,  every  one,  the  children  and  negroes  especially, 
was  in  high  spirits.  New  Orleans  sugar,  when  they 
could  get  it,  was  preferred  by  elderly  people  for  coffee, 
but  for  all  ordinary  purposes  the  tree  sugar  answered  well 
enough.  The  syrup  made  of  it  was  then,  as  now,  highly 
esteemed,  for  its  peculiarly  rich  and  delicate  flavor. 

It  was  often  necessary  at  these  camps  to  sit  up  all  night 
and  keep  fires  under  the  boilers.  This  I  never  liked.  To 
stand  near  the  bright  fires  and  look  out  into  the  "  black- 
ness of  darkness  "  that  surrounded  us  was  a  little  un- 
pleasant, especially  when,  as  was  often  the  case,  the  wolves 
were  howl  ins;  and  the  owls  hootino;  in  the  distance.  The 
owls  I  disliked  more  than  the  wolves.  They  sometimes 
broke  out  into  something  like  a  fiendish  laugh,  which  I 
abhorred.  I  had  often  heard  that  Indians  would  imitate 
owls  when  signaling  each  other  at  night  on  their  murder- 
ous expeditions. 

On  one  occasion,  when  several  hours  before  day,  your 
grandfather  and  I  were  sitting  up  attending  to  the  boilers, 
a  wild  beast,  seemingly  of  the  larger  kind,  commenced  a 
sort  of  wailing  cry  a  little  way  from  our  camp,  passing 
round  it  all  the  while  at  apparently  the  same  distance. 
Your  grandfather  stood  and  listened  for  some  time,  and 
then  said,  "  We  had  better  get  on  our  shelter."  I  went 
up  first,  and,  after  handing  me  his  axe,  he  came  up  him- 
self. The  animal  continued  its  circuit  round  the  camp  for 
some  time  afterwards.  Your  grandfather  struck  the  board 
of  our  shed  violently  several  times  with  his  axe,  which 


LIFE   IN    STEWART   COUNTY.  171 

made  quite  a  loud  noise,  but  it  did  not  seem  to  be  heeded. 
Finally  the  creature  went  off  in  a  straight  direction,  utter- 
ing its  wail  as  far  as  we  could  hear  it.  We  thought  it  was 
a  panther,  attracted  and  confused  probably  by  our  fires. 
I  may  here  add  that  we  made  abundance  of  sugar  that 
winter  to  supply  us  till  the  next  season. 

You  must  remember  we  were  now  on  the  very  extreme 
limits  of  the  white  settlements.  At  this  time,  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  Tennessee  Eiver  the  Indian  territory  began, 
and  extended  to  the  Mississippi  River,  an  extensive 
country  occupied  by  the  Chickasaw  Indians  and  wild 
beasts  for  many  years  until  it  was  purchased  by  General 
Jackson,  settled  by  white  people,  and  known  afterwards 
as  "  Jackson's  Purchase." 

When  the  weather  was  unfavorable  for  sugar-making, 
and  not  too  inclement  for  out-door  work,  your  grandfather 
was  busily  engaged  in  cutting  logs  and  making  boards  for 
building  a  cabin.  He  generally  took  me  with  him  when 
thus  employed  for  company,  and  that  I  might  be  able  to 
amuse  myself,  he  gave  me  a  hatchet  to  fell  small  trees 
with  near  where  he  was  at  work  in  the  woods. 

One  day  when  a  tree  on  which  he  had  been  chopping 
for  some  time  began  to  ftill,  on  looking  round  he  saw  me 
standing  immediately  under  it.  He  gave  the  alarm,  and 
I  sprung  behind  a  tree  near  by  for  protection.  Had  it 
not  been  there,  I  must  have  been  killed  by  the  broken 
limbs,  which  fell  with  a  crash  all  around  me.  The  shock 
produced  by  this  disqualified  him  for  doing  any  more  work 
that  day,  and  he  went  home,  taking  me  with  him.  As 
we  walked  along  together  he  spoke  of  the  uncertainty  of 
human  life,  and  of  the  importance  of  always  being  pre- 
pared for  death.     He  praised  me  also  for  my  presence  of 


172  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

mind  in  slieltoring  myself  as  I  did  behind  the  tree.  My 
situation  was  indeed  a  perilous  one,  and  my  escape  little 
less  than  a  miracle. 

As  soon  as  his  timbers  were  ready  his  neighbors  assisted 
him  in  raising  his  cabin,  and  when  we  moved  into  it  all 
were  happy  in  having  a  home  and  resting-place  of  our 
own,  although  it  was  one  of  the  rudest  description,  built 
with  a  view  of  using  it  as  a  shelter  only  until  one  more 
comfortable  could  be  erected,  as  were  most  of  the  cabins  of 
the  pioneer  settlers.  The  floor  was  made  of  logs,  split 
open  and  laid  down  with  the  smooth  side  uppermost,  and 
then  dressed  off  a  little  with  an  adze. 

Your  grandfather  was  every  day  more  and  more  pleased 
with  the  tract  of  land  he  had  [purchased.  The  growth 
upon  it  indicated  great  fertility.  Besides  the  larger  trees, 
such  as  the  poplar,  ash,  walnut,  and  sugar-maple,  there 
were  also  the  buckeye,  hackberry,  papaw,  redbud,  spice- 
wood,  and  grapevines  of  enormous  size,  reaching  to  the 
tops  of  the  tallest  trees. 

When  spring  had  fairly  opened,  and  the  forest  was 
decked  in  its  gay  attire,  its  beauty  was  not  to  be  easily 
described.  The  poplar  with  its  tulip-like  blossoms,  the 
dogwood  with  its  gay  white  petals,  the  redbud  with  its 
delicate  purple  bloom,  and  the  blackhaw  with  its  snow- 
white  clusters  mingled  with  the  light  green  leaves  of  early 
spring,  made  a  picture  of  surpassing  beauty. 

Our  cabin  was  near  the  right  bank  of  a  small  stream,  a 
tributary  of  Saline  Creek,  that  wound  along  its  gravelly 
bed,  and  whose  water  was  so  clear  that  one  could  see  the 
smallest  fish  playing  at  the  bottom,  even  where  it  was 
deepest.  On  its  margin  at  that  time  grew  many  flowers 
— bluebells,  wild  pinks,  a  delicate  little  iris  of  singular 


LIFE    IN    STEWART    COUNTY.  173 

fragrance  and  beauty,  and  a  tiny  white  one,  whicli  I  sup- 
pose was  a  variety  of  the  anemone,  or  wind-flower. 

This  year  we  cleared  off  a  few  acres  of  land,  and  had 
the  first  log-rolling  I  had  ever  seen.  This  was  to  my 
mind  a  grand  affair — six  or  eight  strong  men  on  each 
side  of  a  heavy  log,  carrying  it  along  with  measured  tread 
to  the  heap  where  it  was  to  be  burned.  Yet  we  did  not 
get  our  little  field  ready  for  a  crop  of  corn  this  season, 
but  had  to  rent  one.  This  lay  immediately  opposite  where 
the  Saline  Creek  Baptist  Church  now  stands,  as  I  learn, 
in  a  little  bottom  near  a  small  spring  which  breaks  out 
under  the  bluff.  This  spring  attracted  our  attention  sev- 
eral times  while  we  were  living  near  it.  It  w.is  observed, 
that  when  the  creek  was  high,  and  the  water  flowing  a 
little  flush  from  the  spring,  great  numbers  of  fine  black 
perch  would  come  out  from  under  the  bluff  and  flutter 
along  down  the  little  branch  to  the  creek  which  was  near. 
Many,  when  this  was  known,  went  with  bags  and  baskets, 
nnd  filled  them  with  fish  which  they  took  out  of  the  shal- 
low water  with  their  hands. 

At  this  time,  though  living  in  the  plainest  way  one  can 
well  imagine,  as  regards  both  food  and  raiment,  we  were 
very  cheerful  and  happy,  the  demon  of  discontent  not  as 
yet  being  awakened  among  us  by  seeing  others  better  off 
than  ourselves.  To  this  our  pretty  wild  frontier  home,  in 
which  we  all  felt  so  great  an  interest,  in  no  small  degree 
contributed.  But  alas,  all  our  pleasing  anticipations  were 
destined  soon  to  be  blighted. 

Your  grandfather  now  learned,  when  too  late,  that  the 
individual  of  whom  he  had  purchased  the  land  had  no 
legal  title  to  it,  and  consequently  could  make  him  none; 
and  that  it,  with  the  little  improvements  he  had  made  or. 


174  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

it  and  the  money  he  had  paid — which  was  about  all  he 
had — was  lost  without  any  recourse  whatever.  This  was 
a  cruel  blow,  and  one  from  which  he  did  not  recover  for 
many  long  years.  I  remember  well  how  unhappy  he  ap- 
peared to  be,  but  there  was  no  help  for  it.  He  imme- 
diately rented  a  small  place  in  the  neighborhood,  and  we 
bade  adieu  to  our  pretty  home,  where  for  a  short  time  we 
had  been  so  hopefal  and  happy.  I  do  not  remember  that 
I  was  ever  at  the  place  afterwards,  though  we  lived  some 
two  years  near  it.  None  of  us,  I  believe,  wanted  to  see 
or  think  of  it  again. 

Notwithstanding  all  these  disappointments  and  misfor- 
tunes, your  grandfather,  during  the  whole  time  he  lived 
in  Stewart  County,  which  was  nearly  four  years,  kept  up 
his  regular  courses  of  preaching  two  days  in  every  week 
in  the  different  settlements  within  his  reach.  These  days 
were  Saturday  and  Sunday.  Besides  these  he  often 
preached  on  other  occasions,  funeral  sermons  mosth''. 

Although  uniil  late  in  life  he  gave  much  of  his  time  to 
this  kind  of  preaching,  I  think  he  never  had  any  particu- 
lar partiality  for  it.  But  as  on  these  occasions  he  gene- 
rally had  large  and  attentive  audiences,  he  considered 
them  as  opportunities  for  doing  much  good,  and  availed 
himself  of  them  to  direct  the  thoughts  of  the  people  to 
the  importance  of  being  prepared  when  they  too  should 
be  called  to  stand  in  the  presence  of  the  Great  Judge,  and 
give  an  account  of  the  deeds  done  in  the  body. 

As  the  death  of  many  whose  funeral  sermons  he  preach- 
ed were  not  hopeful,  he  did  not  dwell  long  on  the  life  and 
character  of  the  dead,  unless  there  were  peculiar  circum- 
stances connected  with  them  which  could  be  turned  to  the 
advantage  of  his  hearers.     But  after  making  a  few  re- 


LIFE    IN    STEWART   COUNTY.  175 

marks  suitable  to  the  occasion,  he  woulil  proceed  to  preach 
a  discourse  after  his  usual  manner,  first  to  invite  attention 
to  what  the  Bible  and  our  own  experience  teaches  us  in 
regard  to  our  being  in  a  state  of  irreconciliation  with  our 
Creator,  and  the  necessity  of  coming  to  love  and  serve 
him  before  we  can  be  adopted  into  the  heavenly  family 
and  become  heirs  of  salvation. 

He  would  then  explain  the  great  and  glorious  provision 
made  for  our  salvation  by  the  sufferings  and  death  of 
Christ,  and  then  exhort  us  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come 
by  every  consideration, — the  uncertainty  of  life,  the  cer- 
tainty of  death,  and  after  death  the  judgment  when  all 
must  appear  in  the  presence  of  God  to  give  an  account  of 
the  deeds  done  in  the  body,  whether  they  be  good  or 
whether  they  be  evil.  He  warned  us  not  to  neglect  this 
great  salvation,  but  while  we  had  time  and  opportunity 
to  seek  the  Lord  while  he  may  be  found,  and  call  upon 
him  while  he  is  near,  since,  as  the  Bible  teaches  and  the 
poet  sings, 

"  There  are  no  acts  of  pardon  past 
In  the  cold  grave  to  which  we  haste ; 
But  darkness,  death,  and  long  despair 
Reign  in  eternal  silence  there  ! '' 

In  preaching  funeral  sermons  of  little  children,  which 
he  was  often  called  to  do,  he  would  give  expression  to 
many  beautiful  thoughts  calculated  to  soothe  the  bitterness 
of  parental  grief.  It  was  generally  believed,  he  would 
say,  that  one-half  at  least  of  the  human  race  die  before 
reaching  the  age  of  accountability,  and  consequently,  all 
had  safely  reached  the  mansions  of  eternal  rest,  were 
numbered  among  the  happy  spirits,  and  safe  forevermore. 
Add  to  these  the  myriads  of  holy  men  and  women  who  had 


176  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

come  up  out  of  great  tribulation,  and  entered  through 
the  gates  into  the  city,  and  we  are  not  surprised 
to  hear  John  declare  in  his  glorious  vision :  "  I 
beheld,  and  lo,  a  great  multitude  that  no  man  could 
number,  of  all  nations,  and  kindred,  and  peoples,  and 
tongues,  stood  before  the  throne  and  before  the  Lamb, 
clothed  with  white  robes,  and  palms  in  their  hands."  This 
was  a  theme  on  which  he  loved  to  dwell. 

While  living  in  this  county  he  travelled  and  preached 
much  with  a  minister  named  Dudley  Williams.  He  pos- 
sessed fine  talents,  and  for  many  years  was  much  esteemed 
on  account  of  his  zeal  and  Christian  character.  As  a 
preacher  he  was  eloquent  and  impressive,  and  your  grand- 
father loved  and  admired  him.  He  seems,  though,  to 
have  had  a  turn  for  trade  and  speculation,  and  finally  be- 
came involved  in  debt.  Hoping  to  extricate  himself  from 
his  embarrassments,  he  left  home  and  went  down  into 
what  was  then  called  the  Attakapas  country  in  the  south- 
eastern part  of  Louisiana,  and  commenced  trading  in  beef 
cattle  for  the  New  Orleans  market.  Here  he  remained 
for  several  years,  but  failed  in  his  expectations  of  mend- 
ino;  his  fortunes.  On  returnins;  home  he  commenced 
preaching  again,  but  seems  to  have  lost  prestige  as  a  min- 
ister, and  suff'ered  to  some  extent  in  his  reputation,  the 
particulars  of  which  I  do  not  remember.  After  some 
years  he  died,  and  his  sun,  which  in  early  manhood  had 
shone  brightly,  finally  set  under  a  cloud.  Your  grand- 
father never  thought  of  him  afterwards  but  with  deep  re- 
gret and  sorrow.  He  was  often  at  our  house,  and  I  re- 
member him  well. 

All  the  time  he  lived  in  Stewart  County,  your  grand- 
father preached  for  the  Spring  Creek  Church  as  its  pastor, 
though  disttint  about  thirty  miles.     It  was    his  custom  to 


LIFE    IN   STEWART   COUNTY.  177 

leave  home  on  Friday,  and  reach  the  neighborhood  of  his 
church  in  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  preach  on  Sat- 
urday and  Sunday,  and  return  home  on  Monday. 

One  morning  soon  after  leaving  home  to  attend  his 
meeting  he  returned,  and  told  some  of  the  neighbors  where 
he  had  just  seen  a  bear,  and  then  went  on  again.  The 
whole  settlement  soon  collected  together  mounted  on 
horseback  with  dogs  and  guns.  On  going  to  the  place  where 
the  bear  had  been  seen  they  soon  found  him.  After  along 
and  exciting  chase  bruin  was  brought  to  bay  and  killed. 
Late  in  the  evening  the  hunters  in  triumph  came  by 
where  your  Aunt  Polly  and  Aunt  Nannie  were  setting  on 
the  fence  awaiting  their  return.  They  stopped  a  few  mo- 
ments, and  showed  us  the  great  paws  of  the  bear,  which 
they  had  cut  off  and  brought  home  as  a  trophy.  We  were 
almost  afraid  to  look  at  them,  they  seemed  so  formidable. 
This  gave  us  something  to  talk  and  think  about  long  af- 
terwards, and  checked  our  rambling  about  in  the  woods  so 
far  from  home,  lest  we  might  fall  in  with  others  like  him. 

To  me  the  few  years  we  lived  in  Stewart  County  were 
by  far  the  most  interesting  of  my  boyhood,  and  I  am  not 
a  little  surprised  at  the  distinctness  with  which  long  for- 
gotten scenes  and  incidents  re-appear  even  now  when  I 
think  of  those  early  times.  Memory  is,  indeed,  a  wonder- 
ful faculty,  the  great  store-house  where  countless  forms  of 
beauty  and  loveliness  repose,  but,  alas,  where  also,  side  by 
side  with  these,  are  many  dark  shadows  of  grief  and  sor- 
row, from  which,  were  it  possible,  we  would  gladly  turn 
away.  And  here,  had  I  a  turn  for  moralizing,  which  I 
have  not,  I  would  say,  let  every  one  consider  well  what 
he  says  and  does  in  this  life,  since  memory  will  not  always 
linger  alone  on  what  is  bright  and  beautiful  in  the  past. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

CUSTOMS   AND   SCENES   IN   STEWART   COUNTY. 

When  we  first  moved  to  Stewart  County  in  the  winter 
of  1808,  nearly  all  that  portion  of  it  lying  immediately  on 
the  Cumberland  River,  from  near  Dover  to  the  mouth  of 
Saline  Creek,  was  a  wild,  uninhabited  district,  which  had 
not  yet  attracted  the  attention  of  settlers,  and  was  almost 
precisely  in  the  same  state  it  had  been  in  for  ages.  Its 
hills,  valleys,  and  streams  were  as  nature  had  left  them ; 
and  no  one  at  present  passing  over  it  would  have  any 
conception  of  the  difference  wrought  in  its  appearance. 
Perhaps  no  one  standing  on  the  site  of  the  little  cabin  we 
built  there  could  believe  it  was  the  spot  I  have  described. 

There  was  a  wild,  rugged  district  lying  west  of  us  be- 
tween the  Cumberland  and  Tennessee  Rivers,  about  twelve 
miles  in  width,  an  almost  unbroken  solitude,  after  which, 
as  already  stated,  commenced  the  Indian  territory,  extend- 
ing to  the  Mississippi  River,  since  known  as  the  Tennessee 
and  Kentucky  Purchases. 

Soon  after  we  moved  there,  however,  a  great  change 
took  place  in  our  district.  Settlers  came  in  very  rapidly. 
Many  cabins  were  built  along  the  streams  or  creeks,  and 
small  fields  were  cleared  up  and  planted  in  corn  and 
pumpkins,  which  grew  with  amazing  luxuriance.  I  will 
not  risk  what  claims  I  may  have  to  veracity  by  telling 
178 


CUSTOMS   AND   SCENES   IN  STEWART   COUNTY,        179 

you  bow  thickly  I  have  seen  these  pumpkins  lying  on  the 
ground,  or  the  size  to  which  they  sometimes  grew. 

Soon  the  cow  with  her  tinkling  bell  Wiis  seen  grazinn^ 
on  the  rich  pea-vines  among  the  hills,  and  swine  feeding 
on  the  mast  or  acorns,  wliich  in  many  places  covered  the 
ground.  The  little  tub  mill  soon  followed,  near  which  the 
still-house — the  never-failing  sign  of  a  dawning  civiliza- 
tion— might  be  seen  with  its  lazy  wheel  raising  water  from 
the  creek  by  means  of  cows'  horns  fitted  to  its  rim. 

These  still-houses  followed  in  the  wake  of  "Boyd's  Red- 
heifer,"  at  Nashville,  where,  in  1787,  when  a  run  was 
made,  a  horn  was  blown  to  convey  the  glad  tidings  to  all 
the  thirsty  souls  in  the  city;  and  Paton's  "Buffalo  Bull," 
near  Clarksville,  to  or  from  or  by  which  the  County  Court 
ordered  so  many  roads  to  be  made  at  a  still  later  period. 
This  seems,  indeed,  to  have  been  a  famous  watering  place 
in  its  day,  though  after  diligent  inquiry  I  have  not  been 
able  to  learn  its  exact  locality. 

Many  of  the  comforts  and  conveniences  of  life  at  this 
time  were  not  easily  procured.  Salt  was  very  scarce,  and 
consequently  dear.  It  was  made  near  Shawneetown,  in 
Illinois,  and  brought  down  the  Ohio  Eiver  in  crafts  called 
pirogues, — a  French  name,  I  think.  These  were  made  of 
great  trees,  dug  out  after  the  manner  of  common  canoes. 
When  two  of  these  were  lashed  together  they  could  carry 
a  considerable  amount  of  freight.  Bringing  down  salt  in 
these  in  former  times  was  attended  with  danger.  There 
were  many  bad  Indians,  and  worse  white  men,  infesting 
the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  who  used  to  kill  those  in  charge  of 
the  pirogues  and  rob  them  of  their  freight,  whatever  it 
might  be.  And  long  afterwards,  when  the  Indians  had 
passed  away,  men  in  their  trading  boats  were  murdered 


180  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

and  their  goods  carried  off.  Many,  no  doubt,  remember 
the  murders  and  robberies  that  used  to  be  committed  at 
and  near  Ford's  Ferry  on  the  Ohio  River  in  later  times. 

When  the  pirogues  would  land  at  the  mouth  of  Saline 
Creek  with  salt,  people  went  with  horses  and  bags  a  con- 
siderable distance  to  get  small  supplies  of  it.  I  went  once 
with  your  grandfather,  and  saw  quite  a  crowd  at  the 
landing.  I  think  he  gave  three  dollars  and  fifty  cents  per 
bushel,  of  fifty  pounds,  for  what  he  got  then. 

An  old  gentleman,  named  Hubbard,  had  brought  down 
this  salt,  and  I  heard  him  relate  some  of  his  experiences 
while  engaged  in  this  business  in  former  times.  He  said 
that  he  would  keep  his  pirogues  out  in  the  middle  of  the 
river  when  he  saw  or  heard  anything  suspicious  on  shore, 
and  lie  down  in  them,  holding  the  rudder  in  his  hand, 
occasionally  raising  his  head  an  instant  to  see  if  he  was 
going  right,  and  then  ducking  it  down  quickly  before  an 
Indian  could  shoot  him. 

Of  coffee,  for  the  first  few  years,  there  was  little  or  none. 
The  same  might  be  said  of  imported  tea.  A  substitute 
for  the  latter  was  made  of  sassafras,  spice  wood,  and  sage, 
sweetened  with  maple  sugar.  Young  people  and  children 
liked  these  beverages  very  well,  but  elderly  people  did  not 
regard  them  with  much  favor. 

Several  years,  I  think,  passed  without  any  flour  in  our 
house.  At  length  some  was  obtained,  and  we  had  hot 
biscuit  on  Sunday  mornings  for  breakfast,  which  we  chil- 
dren considered  high  living.  Your  grandmother  would 
also  sometimes  permit  us  to  put  some  in  our  pockets  to 
eat  during  the  day.  Considering  the  quality  of  the  flour 
of  which  they  were  made,  I  can  but  wonder  that  we  should 
have  liked  them  so  well.     It  has  been  my  good  fortune 


CUSTOMS   AND   S01:NI:S    in   STEWART   COUNTY.         181 

since  to  eat  as  good  biscuits  as  were  ever  made,  I  suppose; 
hut  those  remain  still  embalmed  in  my  memory. 

The  wheat  sowed  in  our  settlement  was  in  little  patches, 
and  was  reaped  as  in  the  days  of  Boaz  and  Ruth  with  a 
sickle.  I  doubt  if  you  have  ever  seen  one  of  these  imple- 
ments of  husbandry.  The  wheat  was  gathered  in  the  left 
hand  and  cut  off  with  the  sickle  held  in  the  right,  and 
then  dropped  in  little  handfuls  on  the  ground.  Old  Hus- 
sey's  reaper  was  then  no  more  dreamed  of  than  some  great 
invention  which  shall  come  to  light  centuries  hence.  A 
dozen  or  more  men  all  abreast  and  about  half  bent,  reap- 
ing in  this  way,  made  a  pretty  sight. 

The  manner  of  getting  out  the  wheat  was  no  less  primi- 
tive. As  in  ancient  times  the  sheaves  were  laid  down  and 
the  grain  beaten  out  with  flails ;  but  more  frequently 
many  of  these  were  laid  on  a  yard  made  smooth  and  level 
by  careful  preparation,  and  a  number  of  horses  with  boys 
on  them  made  to  trot  round  and  round  upon  the  sheaves 
until  all  the  grain  left  the  heads,  after  which  the  straw 
was  taken  off.  Then,  as  even  wheat  fans  had  not  come 
into  use  among  us,  on  some  windy  day  a  man  would  stand 
on  an  elevated  place  and  pour  the  wheat  slowly  from  a 
pail  or  basket  until  the  dust  and  chaff,  or  at  least  a  part 
of  them,  were  carried  off  by  the  wind.  A  sack  of  this 
wheat  would  then  be  sent  to  one  of  the  little  mills,  and 
perhaps  ground  immediately  after  a  sack  of  corn.  Con- 
sequently a  large  amount  of  corn  meal  was  mixed  with 
the  flour.  It  was  then  put  into  a  hopper,  and  run  through 
a  bolting  cloth  stretched  on  a  frame  and  turned  by  hand 
with  a  crank,  like  a  grindstone.  It  was  the  business  of 
each  mill  boy  to  bolt  his  own  flour.  This  part  of  the 
business  was  our  abhorrence,  and  I  shall  never  forget 
9 


182  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

having  to  sit  on  a  platform  and  turn  this  miserable  crank 
by  the  hour.  Your  grandmother  tried  once  to  make  light 
bread  of  this  flour,  but  without  success,  though  for  biscuit 
and  batter-cakes  we  thought  it  answered  very  well. 

It  was  the  business  of  the  husband  to  provide  his  family 
with  food.  This  was  easily  done  if  he  had  a  small  piece 
of  rich  bottom  land  cleared  and  fenced  in,  and  was  the 
owner  of  a  few  cattle  and  hogs.  The  former  could  live 
during  the  winter  on  very  little  besides  the  cane  which 
had  not  yet  disappeared,  and  the  latter  on  the  beech  mast 
and  acorns  which  were  very  plentiful.  Then  almost  every 
man  had  his  rifle,  with  which  he  could  furnish  for  his 
family  supplies  of  wild  turkeys,  venison,  and  other  game. 
The  graceful  and  sprightly  squirrel,  whose  home  is  in  the 
forest,  was  also  to  be  had.  These  sometimes  appeared  in 
such  numbers  as  to  be  regarded  as  pests.  To  destroy 
them  our  settlers  often  turned  out  in  companies  with  their 
rifles,  and  sometimes  rewards  were  ofi'ered  to  those  who 
brought  in  the  greatest  number  of  scalps  within  a  specified 
time.  They  often  emigrated  in  vast  numbers,  swimming 
across  the  Ohio,  Tennessee,  and  Cumberland  Eivers,  and 
people  would  stand  on  the  banks  and  kill  them  with  sticks 
as  they  came  ashore.  One  woman,  while  washing  her 
clothes  on  the  river  bank,  was  reported  to  have  killed 
several  hundred  in  one  day.  Goldsmith  tells  us,  if  I 
remember  rightly,  that  these  little  animals  often  get  on 
pieces  of  dry  bark,  hoist  their  tails  for  a  sail,  and  in  this 
way  cross  rivers  and  lakes.  I  do  not  remember,  however, 
that  any  were  ever  seen  crossing  our  rivers  in  this  fanciful 
way.  Wild  pigeons,  too,  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year, 
were  to  be  seen  in  countless  numbers,  extending  from  one 
side  of  the  horizon  to  the  other,  darkening  the  heavens 


CUSTOMS   AND   SCENES   IN   STEWART   COUNTY.        183 

while  passing  over.  All  these  things  combined  give  a 
charm  to  frontier  life,  which  causes  the  pioneer  to  re- 
member it  with  pleasure,  though  often  at  the  same  time 
surrounded  by  dangers  and  privations. 

It  was  the  business  of  the  wife  and  mother  to  provide 
clothing  for  her  fomily,  and  to  aid  her  in  this  every  settler 
had  his  little  cotton  or  flax  patch,  or  both.  When  the 
balls  opened  the  cotton  was  picked  out,  and  after  being 
dried  in  the  sun  a  few  days  was  stowed  away.  As  there 
were  no  cotton  gins  in  our  part  of  the  country,  the  seeds 
were  picked  out  by  the  fingers  instead. 

At  night,  during  the  winter  months,  after  a  large  fire 
had  been  made  and  the  hearth  swept,  your  grandmother 
would  put  a  little  parcel  of  this  cotton  down  before  it,  for 
each  one  of  us  to  pick  before  going  to  bed.  In  each  one 
of  these  was  enough  to  keep  us  busy  an  hour  or  so.  It 
was  placed  thus  before  the  fire,  because,  when  heated,  the 
seeds  could  be  taken  out  much  more  easily.  After  grum- 
bling a  good  deal  about  the  size  of  our  respective  piles, 
and  getting  her  to  take  some  from  one  and  put  it  on 
another  to  equalize  them,  we  went  to  work,  plying  our 
fingers  nimbly  till  our  tasks  were  done.  When  finished 
and  all  put  together  it  made  quite  a  pretty  show. 

This  was  a  famous  time  for  talking  about  ghosts, 
witches,  bears,  panthers,  and  Indians.  We  knew  many 
stories  of  the  heroic  men  and  women  of  still  earlier  times, 
who  had  to  contend  with  the  cruel  Indians.  We  often 
found  ourselves,  without  knowing  how  we  got  there,  far 
away  under  other  skies  in  the  land  of  Gideon,  Samson, 
David,  and  Goliath.  Our  father  and  mother  were  gene- 
rally seated  a  little  apart  from  us,  she  sewing  or  knitting, 
and  he  reading  or  meditating,  though  one  would  think  to 


184  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS- 

little  advantage,  considering  the  noise  around  him.  Many- 
times  we  would  all  be  telling  the  same  story  at  the  same 
time,  each  in  a  prodigious  hurry  lest  another  should  get 
before  him  in  the  narrative.  Our  mother  would  occa- 
sionally help  us  on  with  our  story  when  at  fault.  In 
reading  the  Old  Testament  she  took  great  delight,  and 
was  consequently  specially  able  to  keep  us  right  in  our 
Bible  stories. 

After  the  tasks  were  done,  the  stories  finished,  and  a 
little  time  allowed  us  to  compose  ourselves,  the  evening 
devotion  followed,  consisting  of  the  reading  of  a  chapter 
from  the  Bible,  the  singing  of  a  hymn,  and  prayers.  In 
your  grandfather's  prayers  there  was  a  peculiarity  I  never 
observed  in  those  of  any  other  person.  No  two  of  these 
had  the  least  resemblance  as  regarded  set  words  and 
phrases.  He  seemed  filled  with  the  very  spirit  of  prayers 
which  found  utterance  in  no  set  form  of  words  whatever, 
and  even  when  a  child  I  used  to  admire  their  beauty. 

There  was  an  evening  hymn  which  was  a  special  favorite 
of  his  about  this  time,  and  we  all  joined  with  him  in  sing- 
ing it. 

"  The  day  is  past  and  gone, 
The  evening  shades  appear, 
Oh,  may  we  all  remember  well, 
The  night  of  death  is  near  ! 

We  lay  our  garments  by. 

Upon  our  beds  to  rest. 
So  death  will  soon  disrobe  us  all 

Of  what  we  now  possess." 

He  invariably  read  out  two  lines  of  the  hymn,  and 
after  singing  these,  two  more.  This  had  the  advantage 
of  keeping  us  all  well  together,  and  preventing  the  dis- 


CUSTOMS   AND   SCENES   IN   STEWART   COUNTY.  185 

cord  which  is  apt  to  arise  when  this  is  not  done.  In  large 
congregations  this  enabled  all  to  sing.  And  when  the  air 
was  a  familiar  one,  and  the  couplets  tastefully  read  out, 
the  swell  and  volume  of  sacred  melody  in  those  old  times 
was  often  grand  and  beautiful.  For  congregational  sing- 
ing, I  think  no  other  method  can  compare  with  this. 

Many  families  cultivated  the  indigo  plant  in  those  days 
(which  I  think  very  much  resembled  our  common 
penny-royal),  and  manufactured  their  own  indigo,  thus 
saving  the  expense  of  buying,  which  was  an  important 
consideration  with  us.  Your  grandmother  and  I  were 
famous  indigo  makers. 

Dressed  buckskin  was  with  the  settler  an  important 
article  of  clothing.  A  young  fellow  with  hunting  shirt 
and  trousers  made  of  it  was  considered  as  provided  for  in 
the  way  of  clothes  for  an  indefinite  period  of  time.  I  never 
heard  any  one  estimate  their  probable  duration.  I  have 
myself  seen  a  boy  wear  a  pair  of  these  trousers  until  they 
would  descend  but  little  below  the  knee  though  long 
enough  when  first  made ;  but  it  must  be  remembered  that 
while  the  boy  was  growing  taller  the  buckskin  was  inclined 
to  shrink.  Dressed  buckskin  when  new  is  soft  and  vel- 
vety, and  of  a  rich  bufi"  color,  but  time  would  tell  upon  it 
more  or  less,  as  upon  other  things.  In  its  last  stages  it 
became  blackish  and  almost  as  sleek  as  glass.  If  a  boy 
on  a  cold  frosty  morning  put  on  a  pair  of  these  trousers  in 
this  state  without  drawers,  as  was  often  the  case  for  the 
best  of  reasons,  a  considerable  clattering  of  teeth  might 
be  heard.  But  then  what  could  be  better  to  have  on 
when  one  climbed  a  tree  with  rough  bark  or  ran  through  a 
patch  of  briers?  The  hunting  shirt  made  of  this  mate- 
rial came  down  to  the  hips,  and  was  confined  at  the  waist 


186  ELDER   REQBEN    ROSS. 

by  a  belt.  It  generally  had  a  small  cape  notched  round 
the  edge  to  give  it  a  pretty  finish.  The  bottom  of  the 
shirt  was  ornamented  in  the  same  way.  When  a  boy  my 
heart's  desire  was  to  have  one  of  these  suits,  but  that  hap- 
piness never  fell  to  my  lot. 

Besides  cotton  cloth  and  buckskin  a  good  deal  of  linen 
was  also  made.  The  flax  plant  was  pretty  while  growing, 
especially  when  its  tiny  pale  blue  blossoms  were  out.  When 
prepared,  it  was  spun  on  a  small  wheel  turned  by  a  crank 
kept  in  motion  by  the  foot.  Elderly  ladies  used  these 
mostly,  and  in  the  course  of  a  day  would  spin  a  large 
amount  of  thread  on  them.  Cloth  made  of  this  constitu- 
ted a  large  portion  of  the  clothing  of  the  men  and  boys 
in  summer.  It  was  used  also  for  towels,  napkins,  and 
table-cloths. 

Many  persons  tanned  their  own  leather  and  made  their 
own  shoes.  A  large  tree  was  cut  down,  and  made  into 
a  trough.  The  hides  were  prepared  and  put  into  these 
troughs  and  oak  bark  laid  between  the  folds.  They 
would  at  length  imbibe  enough  of  the  tannin  from  the 
bark  to  be  converted  into  leather.  This  was  made  into 
shoes  sometimes  by  a  member  of  the  family,  and  at  others 
by  an  itinerant,  who  went  from  house  to  house  for  that 
purpose.  Your  grandfather  sometimes  made  shoes  for  us 
children,  and  was  thought  by  us  to  be  a  wonderful  ge- 
nius on  that  account.  For  many  years  he  kept  a  set  of 
shoemaker's  tools  in  the  house  for  that  purpose. 

Nothing  was  more  valued  by  the  settlers  than  good 
axes.  The  unskilful  blacksmith  often  failed  to  temper 
them  properly,  and  they  would  then  bend  or  break  on  the 
edge,  and  consequently  much  time  was  lost  in  carrying 
them  to  the  shops.      One  of   the  fine  Collin's  axes  that 


CUSTOMS   AND   SCENES    IN    STEWART   COUNTY.        187 

afterwards  came  into  use  would  then  have  been  considered 
a  great  treasure. 

Bells  to  put  on  horses  and  cattle  were  at  this  time  con- 
sidered of  great  value,  but  less  so  than  some  years  earlier, 
when  640  acres  of  land  near  Nashville,  on  what  is  now 
the  Lebanon  Pike,  sold  for  "  three  axes  and  two  cow 
bells,"  and  a  faithful  rifle,  and  a  clear  toned  bell  were 
traded  for  another  tract.  Of  all  the  bells  ever  made, 
perhaps  no  two  ever  sounded  exactly  alike.  The 
practiced  ear  could  detect  the  difference,  and  each  person 
could  go  to  his  own  bell  though  many  might  be  sounding 
in  the  distance  at  the  same  time,  and  thereby  find  his  own 
stock.  Cattle  and  horses,  too,  knew  their  own  bell,  and  in 
this  way  kept  together. 

Their  attachment  to  it  was  often  so  great  that  they 
would  follow  it  almost  any  where.  While  at  New  Mad- 
rid many  years  ago  I  heard  the  story  of  a  mule  drover 
who  being  asked  what  he  considered  an  exorbitant  price 
by  the  ferryman  to  set  his  mules  across  the  Mississippi 
River,  said  he  would  not  give  it.  And  taking  his  bell 
off  his  leader  got  into  a  skiff,  and  as  he  was  rowed  across 
rang  it  loud  and  distinctly.  His  large  drove  all  came 
down  to  the  water's  edge — stopped,  listened  a  moment  and 
then  plunged  into  the  mighty  stream.  For  some  time 
their  heads  and  long  ears  could  be  seen  by  those  standing 
on  shore,  but  at  last  owing  to  the  distance  they  disappeared 
and  all  seemed  to  have  gone  down  to  rise  no  more.  At 
length  one  was  seen  to  emerge  on  the  other  shore  near  the 
man  who  rang  the  bell,  and  then  another  and  then  another 
until  finally  all  were  seen  standing  together  among  the 
cotton  trees  on  the  opposite  bank  near  their  bell. 

A  blacksmith  who  could  make  a  good  hA\  found  it  very 


188  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

}»rofitable,  since  nothing  was  more  sought  after  in  those 
times.  For  most  of  the  settlers  being  scarce  of  feed 
for  their  work  animals  after  the  day's  work  was  done 
turned  them  out  to  graze  at  night,  and  had  to  collect  them 
again  in  the  morning,  which  was  easily  done  when  they 
had  bells  on  them. 

It  should  have  been  mentioned  sooner  that  every  fami- 
ly had  its  spinning  wheels,  cards,  and  loom.  All  the  girls 
were  taught  to  spin,  card  rolls,  and  weave.  I  used  to  think 
they  appeared  to  great  advantages  while  spinning.  Their 
light  and  graceful  movements  and  handsome  forms  had  an 
effect  altogether  pleasing.  I  doubt  if  any  female  employ- 
ment ever  showed  them  off  to  a  greater  advantage  or  was 
more  conducive  to  health. 

A  wonderful  story  was  told  of  a  young  lady  who  could 
spin  a  thread  so  fine  that  the  wool  required  to  make  a 
piece  of  cloth  of  average  width  could  be  drawn  through 
her  finger  ring.  If  this  were  so,  it  is  well  she  did  not  live 
in  the  days  of  the  envious  Minerva,  or  like  poor  Arachne, 
she  too  might  have  been  turned  into  a  spider  for  rivalling 
that  goddess  in  her  favorite  art. 

When  the  thread  was  spun  very  fine  and  even,  then 
dyed  blue,  and  woven  into  strips  or  checks  tastefully 
shaded  it  made  very  pretty  dresses  for  ladies.  The  dyeing 
was  done  mostly  by  old  women,  whose  hands  while  thus 
engaged  were  of  a  deep  blue  color.  The  process  of  dyeing, 
for  some  unknown  cause,  often  proved  a  failure  as  did  that 
of  soap-making  likewise.  With  both  these  operations 
many  supposed  witchcraft  had  something  to  do. 

All  amusements  were  conducted  with  an  eye  to  some- 
thing useful.  The  young  people  had  their  cotton-pickings, 
and  at  these  there  would  be  a  good  deal  of  niirth  and 


CUSTOMS   AND   SCENES   IN   STEWART  COUNTY.  189 

gaycty,  but  a  largo  quantity  of  cotton  picked  also.  At 
the  quiltings  they  would  Lave  a  lively  time,  chatting, 
joking,  and  courting;  but  there  was  a  pretty  quilt  to 
show  when  all  was  over.  House-raising  and  log-rolling 
involved  so  much  hard  work,  that  one  would  think  they 
could  not  have  been  regarded  as  holidays,  but  they  were 
nevertheless. 

The  corn-shucking  was  a  favorite  pastime.  At  these, 
about  dusk,  the  hands  would  assemble  and  a  pole  be  laid 
across  the  corn-pile  to  divide  it  into  two  equal  parts. 
Then  two  men  would  be  chosen  called  captains,  after  the 
manner  of  school-boys  preparing  for  a  game;  each,  one 
after  the  other,  chose  his  man,  and  the  corn-crib  was  un- 
covered to  receive  the  ears  as  the  shuck  was  pulled  off. 
Each  captain  took  his  men  on  his  side  the  pole,  the  darkies 
raised  the  corn-song,  and  the  contest  began.  In  a  few 
hours  the  large  corn-heap  would  melt  away,  and  the 
dividing  pole  fall  on  the  side  of  the  victors.  They  would 
often  then  seize  their  captain  and  bear  him  off  in  triumph 
on  their  shoulders.  The  darkies  had  a  variety  of  corn- 
songs  and  a  name  for  each.  "  I'm  gwine  way  down  the 
river,"  "The  nigger-trader  bought  me,"  and  "Fare  you 
weU,  Miss  Sarah,"  were  very  fashionable.  The  airs,  and 
what  little  of  sentiment  there  was,  generally  had  a  tone 
of  sadness  in  them,  and  the  rich  mellow  voices  of  the 
singers,  when  heard  far  away  during  the  stillness  of  the 
night,  had  a  very  pleasing  effect.  After  supper  all  re- 
turned home  to  meet  again  in  a  few  nights  at  the  house 
of  another  neighbor,  and  thus  go  on  till  the  shucking 
season  ended. 

Boys   were   kept   pretty  well  to  business  during   the 
week,  but  on  Sundays  they  literally  ran  wild.     Kobert 

9* 


190  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

Raikes  and  Sunday-schools  had  not  been  heard  of  then. 
After  breakfast  in  summer  wo  would  repair  to  our  play- 
ground in  some  secluded  place  under  the  shady  trees  and 
spend  several  hours,  running  races,  jumping,  wrestling, 
and  playing  at  ball  and  marbles.  The  black  boys  were 
permitted  to  join  us  on  terms  of  perfect  equality. 

After  amusing  ourselves  in  this  way  till  satisfied,  we 
often  took  our  bows  and  arrows,  which  we  had  carried 
with  us,  and  went  to  the  creek,  pulled  off  our  trousers, 
wound  them  round  our  necks,  and  waded  up  and  down  in 
the  shallow  water  to  shoot  fish  with  only  one  garment  on, 
and  sometimes  not  even  that.  When  we  came  to  water 
of  sufficient  depth  we  all  plunged  in,  diving,  swimming, 
and  splashing  the  water  about  like  dolphins. 

In  autumn  we  roamed  the  forests  in  search  of  nuts, 
wild  grapes,  persimmons,  papaw  apples,  and  black  haws. 
The  latter  was  a  fruit  we  highly  prized.  It  grew  on  a 
dwarf  tree  about  the  height  of  the  common  dogwood, 
with  smooth  glossy  leaves. 

In  our  rambles  we  sometimes  passed  by  the  solitary 
cabin  of  an  old  hunter  named  McCuUoch.  It  stood  on 
the  bank  of  a  stream  called  Hays'  Fork,  in  a  grove  of 
beech  trees.  The  stream,  if  I  remember  correctly,  was  a 
tributary  of  Saline  Creek.  His  cabin  was  one  of  the 
rudest  kind,  very  low  and  small,  and  the  cracks  between 
the  logs  were  large.  There  was  a  fire-place  in  one  end, 
and  a  chimney  about  breast  high,  across  which  sticks 
were  laid  for  the  purpose  of  drying  or  curing  his  venison. 

He  was  a  good  deal  past  the  middle  age,  tall,  spare, 
and  sinewy,  with  a  florid  complexion.  He  had  a  beautiful 
rifle,  mounted  with  silver,  and  kept  in  the  most  perfect 
p^'der.     No  living  thing — not  even  a  dog,  the  usual  com- 


CUSTOMS   AND   SCKNES   IN   STEWART   COUNTY.         191 

panion  of  the  pioneer  hunter — was  to  be  seen  about  the 
place.  He  was,  I  think,  one  of  the  last  of  the  old  hunters 
that  had  lingered  in  our  settlement — one  of  the  Leather- 
stocking  type.  It  was  said  he  would  leave  home  some- 
times for  weeks  together — gone  perhaps  on  a  distant  hunt. 
He  killed  a  great  many  deer,  as  was  reported,  for  their 
hams  and  skins,  which  he  used  to  sell.  It  was  supposed 
he  had  money  secreted  in  the  woods  somewhere  near 
where  he  lived. 

His  method  of  approaching  the  deer,  of  which  ho  killed 
so  many,  was  very  singular.  He  took  care  to  get  the 
deer  between  himself  and  the  wind,  so  that  it  could  not 
scent  him.  When  the  deer's  head  Wtis  up  he  stood  per- 
fectly still,  and  when  it  was  down  grazing  and  could  not 
see  him  he  walked  towards  it  till  it  was  about  to  raise  its 
head  again,  and  then  stopped.  He  knew  when  it  was 
going  to  raise  its  head,  because  before  doing  so  it  always 
shook  its  tail.  In  this  way  he  could  approach  as  near  his 
game  as  he  desired — so  near  as  never  to  fail  to  bring  it 
down  when  he  fired. 

I  heard  that  he  used  to  say  all  or  nearly  all  the  tales 
told  about  the  killing  of  people  by  wolves  were  untrue,  as 
he  had  never  known  but  one  person  killed  by  them.  A 
negro  man,  who  had  been  sent  to  help  a  neighbor  to  kill 
his  hogs,  and  was  on  his  way  home  after  night  with  fresh 
meat  in  a  basket,  had  been  attacked  by  a  gang  of  them 
and  devoured,  together  with  the  meat  he  was  carrying. 
When  he  did  not  return  as  expected,  his  master,  on  going 
to  look  for  him,  found  nothing  but  a  piece  of  his  hat  and 
his  shoes  to  show  where  he  had  been  killed. 

An  account  he  gave  of  an  unwelcome  visit  he  once  had 
from  a  panther  was  quite  thrilling.    He  had  observed  that 


192  ELDER    REUBKN  ROSS. 

for  several  nights  in  succession  some  of  the  venison  he 
had  placed  over  his  chimney  to  dry  was  carried  off,  and 
concluded  to  lie  down  and  cover  himself  with  skins  and 
keep  awake  to  see  what  was  going  on,  lie  did  not  wait 
long  before  he  heard  something  jump  up  on  his  scaffold. 
Almost  at  the  same  instant  scaffold,  meat,  and  a  large 
panther  fell  down  together  into  his  cabin.  He  had  never, 
before  nor  afterwards,  been  in  such  deadly  peril.  For 
although  the  panther  is  a  great  coward  naturally,  yet 
when  hemmed  in  or  wounded  he  knew  it  to  be  the  most 
dangerous  wild  beast  of  the  forest.  His  first  impulse  was 
to  reach  out  for  his  rifle  to  shoot  it,  but  he  was  afraid  it 
would  notice  this  and  tear  him  to  pieces.  The  creature 
at  first  seemed  greatly  astonished  at  what  had  happened, 
and  stood  still  for  some  tinio  looking  round  the  cabin.  As 
good  fortune  would  have  it  the  door  had  been  left  partly 
open,  and  on  seeing  this  his  visitor  passed  out  into  the 
dark  and  left  him,  greatly  to  his  satisfaction  and  comfort. 

As  the  settlement  increased  in  population,  and  game 
became  more  and  more  scarce,  the  old  hunter  at  length 
left  his  cabin  and  never  returned.  Whither  he  directed 
his  steps,  I  think  no  one  ever  knew.  Perhaps  still  farther 
towards  the  settins;  sun. 

The  first  school  in  our  settlement  was  taught  by  a  gen- 
tleman named  Ferrell,  which  name  sounded  so  much  like 
ferule  as  to  be  suggestive.  His  curriculum,  or  course  of 
studies,  was  spelling,  reading,  and  arithmetic.  As  regards 
his  proficiency  in  these  branches  I  can  only  testify  as  to 
his  penmanship,  which  was  simply  marvellous  for  its 
beauty. 

This  school,  at  least  while  I  attended  it,  was  quite  large. 
It  was  composed  of  girls  and  boys,  and   I   think  in  some 


CUSTOMS   AND   SCENK-5    IN    STEWART   COUNTY.  193 

respects  deserves  notice.  In  the  first  place,  it  could  boast 
of  only  one  arithmetic,  which  belonged  to  the  master. 
When  a  boy  wanted  a  sum  to  work  upon  he  carried  his 
slate  to  him,  and  had  one  set  down  suited  to  his  age  and 
advancement.  He  took  his  slate  out  under  the  trees,  and 
was  allowed  his  own  time  to  report  progress.  He  might 
take  a  week  if  it  suited  his  convenience.  After  trying  it 
a  few  days,  if  he  could  not  work  it  himself,  he  generally, 
carried  it  to  some  boy  more  advanced,  and  had  it  done.  He 
then  took  it  to  the  master,  who,  if  on  examination  it  was 
found  correct,  ordered  him  to  set  it  down  in  his  cypher- 
ing-book  in  which  each  scholar  was  required  to  enter  in 
full  every  sum  he  worked  or  rather  had  worked  for  him. 
These  cypher! ng-books  consisted  of  about  one  quire  of 
common  cap  paper  stitched  together  and  placed  between 
a  covering  made  of  pasteboard.  These  were  preserved 
with  great  care,  and  generally  ornamented  with  some  of 
the  elegant  penmanship  of  the  master.  After  writing 
down  his  sum  the  master  set  down  another  on  his  slate, 
and  he  went  out  into  the  woods  as  before. 

Another  peculiarity  of  this  school  was  the  absence  of 
everything  like  classification.  So  soon  as  the  master  took 
his  seat  in  the  morning  the  head  scholar  came  forward 
made  a  bow,  and  spelt  or  read  his  lesson.  Before  he  could 
reach  his  seat  the  next  in  order  would  come  up,  recite, 
and  go  back  ;  and  this  went  on  all  day,  no  two  reciting 
together. 

No  scholar  was  permitted  to  study  upon  his  lesson  to 
himself,  but  was  required  to  spell  or  read  it  out  in  a  loud 
tone  of  voice  with  his  book  held  up  before  his  face  so  that 
he  could  not  look  about.  The  louder  they  read  and  the 
more  noise  they  made,  the  better  the  master  was  pleased,  and 


194  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

wlien  they  were  in  full  blast  the  din  was  simply  tremen- 
dous. On  seeing  some  gentlemen  riding  by  one  day  he 
told  us  to  let  them  have  it,  and  they  got  it  sure  enough. 
He  liked  people  to  hear  us  when  preparing  our  lessons. 
The  boys  soon  learned  that,  provided  they  did  it  in  a  proper 
tone  of  voice,  they  could  talk  on  any  subject  they  desired 
without  being  detected. 

Our  teacher  believed  in  the  virtue  of  the  rod,  and  kept 
three  or  four  very  pretty  specimens  by  him  on  nails  driven 
in  the  wall  near  where  he  sat.  I  think  he  must  have  had 
a  good  eye  for  things  of  that  sort  as  in  my  rambles  in  the 
woods  I  never  saw  any  so  tapering  and  shapely  as  his  were, 
and  have  no  doubt  that  when  passing  about  if  he  saw  one 
of  these  beauties  he  secured  it  for  our  benefit.  I  think 
he  preferred  the  black  hickory,  though,  to  the  time-honored 
birch. 

These  he  not  only  used  in  individual  cases,  but  some- 
times made  a  general  application  of  them,  as  when  he 
noticed  a  sort  of  languor  in  the  school,  he  would  go  round 
and  whip  the  whole  concern.  If  a  boy  who  was  conning 
over  his  lesson  at  the  time  complained  of  being  whipped 
unjustly,  he  would  be  told  that  a  chap  who  failed  to  get 
a  whipping  ten  times  when  he  deserved  it  had  no  right  to 
complain  if  he  got  one  now  and  then  when  he  did  not. 
As  a  general  thing  we  took  our  whippings  as  a  part  of  our 
schooling,  without  making  much  ado  about  them,  and 
thought  if  we  did  not  get  more  than  one  or  two  a  day  we 
were  doing  pretty  well. 

But  our  teacher  had  one  practice  which  we  all  considered 
"  dog-mean,"  to  use  our  phrase.  He  kept  a  little  stick 
about  eighteen  inches  long  lying  on  his  table,  and  when  on 
looking  round  he  saw  a  good  many  not  attending  to  their 


CUSTOMS   AND  SCENES   IN   STEWART   COUNTY.  I'.'O 

lessons  he  would  throw  this  stick  out  into  the  middle  of  the 
floor,  and  order  all  that  were  idle  to  pick  it  up  and  bring 
it  to  him.  Whereupon,  half  a  dozen  little  fellows  would 
be  seen  to  rise  slowly  from  their  seats,  on  which  they  lel't 
their  spelling  books  ;  pick  up  the  miserable  stick  with  their 
little  brown  hands  ;  march  up  with  it  "  slowly  and  sadly," 
as  if  they  were  carrying  the  last  friend  they  had  in  the  world 
to  his  grave  ;  receive  their  whipping ;  and  return  to  their 
seats  again. 

The  day  of  deliverance  at  length  dawned.  The  larger 
scholars  decided  to  strike  for  a  holiday.  Consequently, 
one  day  when  the  master  went  to  his  dinner  they  barred 
up  the  door  securely.  On  returning  he  inquired,  "  What 
it  meant."  He  was  told  we  wanted  holiday,  and  he  could  not 
come  in  till  he  agreed  to  let  us  have  it.  He  replied  that  he 
would  go  and  cut  an  armful  of  switches,  and  if  the  door 
Avas  not  unbarred  when  he  returned,  we  would  be  sorry 
we  had  ever  heard  of  such  a  thing  as  holiday.  Then  he 
started  off  to  get  thega  as  we  supposed.  All  now  became 
terribly  frightened,  and  not  waiting  to  unbar  the  door  ran 
up  the  chimney  which  was  low,  jumped  down  upon  the 
ground  and  ran  home.  This  broke  up  the  school  for  the 
present.  I  think  he  taught  there  afterwards ;  but  your 
grandfather  never  sent  me  to  him. 

Here  I  think  it  but  just  to  state,  that  though  this  teacher 
did  a  good  deal  of  flogging,  he  never  whipped  us  cruelly, 
and  seemed  to  do  it  rather  as  a  duty  than  from  ill  temper.  I 
remember  him  well.  He  had  red  hair,  a  long  narrow 
face,  and  fair  complexion. 

You  will  perhaps  hardly  believe  it  when  I  tell  you  we 
had  an  Exhibition  while  I  was  going  to  tl^is  school ;  but 
it  is  true.     This  was  considered  a  wonderful  event  in  our 


196  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

settlement,  and  excited  it  from  centre  to  circumference. 
Wiiat  we  called  a  stage  was  made  before  the  school-house 
door  and  raised  some  distance  from  the  ground.  A  part 
of  this  was  concealed  from  public  view  by  counterpanes 
tacked  together  for  a  curtain.  The  speakers  and  actors 
issued  from  behind  this,  and  came  out  on  the  boards  in 
full  view  of  the  spectators,  who  stood  or  sat  on  the  ground. 
There  were  many  speeches  spoken  and  dialogues  acted  to 
the  great  delight  of  the  people. 

The  great  event  was  the  killing  of  Caesar  by  the  Roman 
conspirators.  He  came  out  first  on  the  stage — then  one, 
and  then  another  of  the  assassins.  While  they  were 
standing  and  talking  together  in  a  very  friendly  way,  one 
of  the  conspirators  drew  his  dagger  and  struck  at  Caesar. 
The  rest  joined  in,  and  while  he  was  defending  himself  as 
best  he  could,  Brutus  drew  his  dagger  and  struck  the 
mortal  blow.  Caesar  then  folded  his  robe  around  him, 
and  fell  pouring  out  at  the  same  time  some  red  paint  pre- 
pared for  the  occasion,  which  trickled  down  like  blood. 
It  was  a  terrible  spectacle,  and  many  who  witnessed  it 
turned  pale.  Few  present  had  seen  anything  of  the  kind 
before,  and  it  made  a  deep  impression  on  their  minds.  I 
think  even  now,  all  things  considered,  the  acting  was  very 
good.  Thus  you  see,  though  nearly  out  of  the  world,  we 
were  already  enjoying  some  of  its  entertainments. 

Our  old  school-house,  I  think,  stood  across  the  creek  in 
a  southeasterly  direction  from  the  present  Saline  Creek 
Church,  distant  from  it,  perhaps,  three-quarters  of  a  mile. 
I  think  it  was  used  as  a  meeting-house  before  the  present 
one  was  built.  The  last  time  I  saw  it  I  was  in  company 
with  your  grandfather  and  Elder  Fort,  who  held  a  meet- 
in";  there  "lono;  time  a";o." 


CUSTOMS   AND   SCENES     IN    STEWART   COUNTY.  197 

As  I  have  told  you  a  fish  story  I  will  now  toll  you  one 
al>out  a  snake  and  then  bid  a  final  adieu  to  the  old  school- 
house  with  all  its  pleasant  ami  unplo;isant  memories. 

A  schoolmate  and  I  were  i^oing  to  the  spring  for  water 
and  we  saw  a  flock  of  partridges  just  before  us.  As  he 
was  very  expert  at  throwing  stones,  he  threw  one  at  them 
and  killed  one  partridge.  We  were  very  proud  of  the  feat, 
and  after  looking  at  it  some  time  laid  it  on  an  old  log,  in- 
tending to  get  it  on  our  return,  and  show  it  to  the  boys 
when  we  o;ot  back  to  the  school-house.  We  loitered  some 
time  at  the  spring,  but  when  on  our  return  we  came  to 
look  for  the  bird  behold,  it  was  no  whore  to  be  found! 
We  walked  around  and  around  wondering  what  could  have 
become  of  it,  when  on  looking  down,  wonderful  to  tell, 
there  lay  a  rattlesnake  almost  under  our  feet.  I  need  not 
tell  you  he  was  in  size  a  monster,  for  in  snake  stories  they 
are  always  so.  This  fellow  had  just  swallowed  our  bird, 
as  we  found  afterwards.  Why  he  had  not  bitten  us  it 
would  be  hard  to  tell. 

An  old  hunter  who  lived  near  Greysville,  Todd  Coun- 
ty, Kentucky,  was  standing  near  a  tree  waiting  for  his 
dogs  to  bring  by  him  a  deer  which  they  were  pursuing ;  on 
looking  down  saw  a  prodigious  rattlesnake  coiled  up  al- 
most under  his  feet,  and  at  one  bound  placed  himself  at  a 
safe  distance.  As  the  snake  had  behaved  so  well  toward 
him,  he  hesitated  for  some  time  about  killing  it.  After 
thinking  the  matter  over  he  concluded  that,  though  a 
good  snake  himself,  he  belonged  to  a  bad  family  and  killed 
it.  We  came  to  the  same  conclusion  concerning  our 
snake,  and  did  likewise.  He  was  an  ugly-looking  rascal 
and  we  thought  he  had  poison  enough  in  him  to  kill  a 
dozen  bovs  had  he  bitten  them. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

WAR — INDIANS — COMETS— EARTHQUAKES. 

The  year  1811  was  an  eventful  one,  both  for  our  settle- 
ment and  for  our  country.  "  Coming  events  "  were  be- 
ginning to  "  cast  their  shadows  before,"  and  to  fill  the 
public  mind  with  forebodings  of  trouble. 

The  English  Government  claimed  and  exercised  the 
right  to  search  American  vessels  on  the  high  seas,  and  to 
take  from  them  all  they  thought  or  pretended  to  think 
were  British  subjects,  and  to  put  them  on  board  their  own 
vessels  of  war.  All  foresaw  that  this  would  make  war 
inevitable,  if  persisted  in,  as  no  proud,  higli-spirited  peo- 
ple could  brook  so  great  an  indignity. 

It  was  known,  too,  that  nearly  all  the  Indian  tribes 
were  more  or  less  disaifected  and  hostile,  and  that  in  the 
event  of  a  war  with  England  an  alliance  would  be  formed 
among  them,  and  that  the  tomahawk  and  scalping  knife 
would  again  be  used  to  perform  their  bloody  work. 

It  was  well  known,  also,  that  Tecumseh,  the  famous  In- 
dian chief,  was  busily  engaged  in  forming  an  extensive 
confederacy  of  all  the  surrounding  Indian  tribes,  the  ob- 
ject of  which  was  to  exterminate  the  white  race,  and  to 
prevent  all  further  encroachments  on  what  they  considered 
their  territory. 

This  celebrated  chief  is  said  to  have  been  one  of  three 
brothers,  born  at  the  same  time,  on  the  banks  of  the  Scioto 
198 


WAR— INDIANS — COMETS — EARTHQUAKES.  199 

River,  near  Chill icothe,  Ohio.  His  father  was  the  famous 
Shawnee  chief,  Cornstalk,  who  commanded  the  Indian 
warriors  in  the  battle  ol  Kanawha,  or  Point  Pleasant,  in 
1774,  whore  but  for  the  vigilance  of  Eobertson  and  Se- 
vier, it  seems  that  the  army  under  General  Lewis 
must  have  met  with  a  bloody  defeat.  His  mother  is 
variously  stated  to  have  been  a  Shawnee,  a  Creek,  and  a 
Cherokee  Indian.  "  His  enmity  to  the  whites  was  con- 
stant and  bitter.  In  all  the  terrible  incursions  of  the 
savages  by  which  the  first  settlers  of  Kentucky  were  har- 
assed, he  was  conspicuous,  but  rarely  appropriated  to  his 
own  use  any  of  the  booty  thus  obtained.  The  love  of  glory 
and  his  desire  of  sating  vengeance  on  the  whites  were  his 
predominant  passions." 

"  In  person  he  was  about  five  feet  ten  inches  high,  with 
handsome  features,  a  symmetrical  and  powerful  frame,  and 
an  air  of  dignity  and  defiance."  As  a  warrior,  politician, 
and  hunter,  he  had  no  equal  in  his  tribe.  Of  his  skill 
in  hunting  it  is  narrated  that,  being  challenged  to  a  con- 
test by  the  best  hunters  of  his  tribe,  he  returned,  at  the 
end  of  three  days,  with  thirty  deerskins,  while  none  of  his 
competitors  brought  in  more  than  twelve. 

After  inspiring  the  northern  tribes  with  deadly  hostility 
to  the  whites,  he  passed  through  the  Chickasaw  and 
Choctaw  nations,  on  his  way  to  the  Creeks  and  Cherokees. 
When  he  set  out  on  this  journey  he  left  his  brother,  Els- 
katawa  known  as  the  Shawnee  Prophet,  in  command  of 
his  northern  warriors,  with  strict  orders  to  strike  no  blow 
until  his  return.  But  he,  becoming  impatient,  attacked 
General  Harrison,  November  7th,  1811,  at  Tippecanoe, 
where  he  was  defeated  in  a  bloody  battle,  and  the  Indian 
war  fully  inaugurated. 


200  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

This  disobedience  of  orders  on  the  part  of  the  Prophet 
well  nigh  ruined  all  the  splendid  schemes  Tecumseh  had 
been  forming  for  years.  He  did  not  succeed,  it  is  true,  in 
bringing  our  Indians,  the  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws,  into 
his  league.  Had  he  done  this  all  our  settlements  on  the 
Cumberland  must  have  been  broken  up.  But  as  our  peo- 
ple could  not  know  certainly  how  matters  stood,  they  were 
constantly  harassed  by  alarming  rumors.  At  one  time  a 
report  came  that  they  were  killing  people  at  the  Mouth 
of  Sandy,  on  the  Tennessee  Eiver,  and  that  they  might  be 
expected  in  our  settlement  any  hour.  The  report  reached 
us  about  dusk,  when  your  grandfather  was  from  home. 
As  soon  as  it  was  quite  dark,  your  grandmother  took  us 
all,  and  went  over  to  the  house  of  Uncle  Nathan  Ross. 
She  forbade  us  to  speak  a  word  or  make  any  noise  what- 
ever on  the  way.  We  moved  along,  like  so  many  silent 
spectres,  in  the  darkness.  On  reaching  his  house,  we 
learned  that  he  had  already  collected  a  number  of  men, 
and  had  gone  to  see  -what  the  Indians  were  doing  on  the 
Tennessee.  Returning  in  a  day  or  two,  he  reported  that 
only  one  family  had  been  frightened  from  home,  after 
which  the  bed-ticks  had  been  ripped  open  and  carried  off, 
and  the  feathers  left  scattered  about  the  house  and  yard, 
but  by  whom  this  had  been  done,  I  think,  was  never 
known. 

Although  Tecumseh  did  not  succeed  in  turning  our 
Indian  neighbors  against  us,  it  was  different  with  the 
Creek  Indians,  and  the  massacre  at  Fort  Mimms,  in  what 
is  now  the  State  of  Alabama,  one  of  the  bloodiest  in  the 
annals  of  Indian  warfare,  soon  followed.  The  flame  there 
kindled  by  him  among  the  southern  Indians  continued 
to   blaze,    until    it   was  finally  quenched  in  their  blood, 


WAR — INDIANS — COMETS — EARTHQUAKES.  201 

'luring  the  wars  waged  against  them,  by  the  heroic  Jackson. 
I  may  liere  state  tliat  after  Tecumseh  returned  from  his 
southern  tour,  he  collected  together  the  warriors  left  after 
the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  and  joined  the  British  army  in 
Canada,  was  made  a  brigadier  general,  and  distinguished 
himself  for  courage  and  conduct,  until  he  fell  in  the  battle 
of  the  Thames  in  1812,  while  gallantly  leading  his  war- 
riors to  the  charge.* 

To  add  to  the  causes  of  uneasiness  already  mentioned, 
the  great  comet  of  1811  made  its  appearance  at  this  time. 
It  was  a  splendid  affair ;  having  a  tail  long  enough,  it 
was  said,  to  have  coiled  round  our  planet  five  thousand 
times ;  a  comet  of  tremendous  magnitude.  I  remember 
well  when  we  first  saw  it,  at  your  grandfather's.  A 
stranger  had  died  in  the  neighborhood,  and  his  remains 
had  been  brought  to  our  place  to  be  buried.  It  so  hap- 
pened that  the  interment  had  not  been  completed  till  after 
dark  ;  and  while  the  grave  was  being  filled  up,  some  of  the 
bystanders  happening  to  look  to  the  northwest,  saw  the 
terrible  stranger  on  the  verge  of  the  distant  horizon.  I 
need  not  say  its  appearance  caused  a  deep  sensation  in  a 
crowd,  all  of  whom  had  been  taught  to  look  upon  comets 
as  harbingers  of  impending  calamity.  To  add  to  our 
misfortunes  still  further,  the  northern  lights  were  particu- 
larly showy  and  beautiful  this  season.  And  when  they 
would  change  rapidly  from  one  part  of  the  heavens  to 
another,  and  sometimes  assume  a  dark  red  hue,  many 
thought  that  the  movements  of  armies  and  bloodshed  were 
portended,  and  lost  heart  altogether.  But  the  worst  was 
not  yet.     On  the  16th  of  December,   1811,   the  severe 

*  For  what  has  been  said  of  Tecumseh  see  Cyclopedia  Americana  and 
Putnam's  Annals. 


202  ELDER    REUBEN   ROSS. 

shock  of  an  earthquake  was  felt  ahout  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  This  produced  the  greatest  consternation. 
Many  of  the  neighbors,  while  it  was  yet  dark,  loft  home, 
and  came  to  learn  of  your  grandfather  what  it  was,  and 
what  w^as  the  cause  of  it.  He  told  them  it  was  an  earth- 
quake, and  that  earthquakes  were  supposed  to  be  caused 
by  great  fires  raging  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  And 
when  he  added  that  not  only  single  houses,  but  great  towns 
and  cities  had  often  been  shaken  down  by  them,  and  thou- 
sands of  people  buried  in  the  ruins,  all  thought  they  had 
made  a  merciful  escape,  and  about  daylight  started  home 
happy,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped,  thankful,  that  they  had  es- 
caped so  well,  not  doubting  that  all  danger  was  now 
over.  But  about  sunrise,  a  noise  like  distant  subterra- 
nean thunder,  far  away  to  the  southwest,  began  to  be 
heard.  As  it  approached  nearer  and  nearer,  and  grew 
louder  and  louder,  the  ground  began  to  tremble.  AVhen 
it  reached  us  the  noise  for  a  moment  was  terrific,  and  the 
vibrations  of  the  earth  violent.  Then  the  rumbling  sound 
gradually  rolled  away  to  the  northwest  till  it  became  in- 
audible. 

The  feeling  produced  was  sublime  and  awful.  Even 
dumb  animals  seemed  to  be  awed  by  it.  They  looked 
pensive  and  dejected,  as  though  something  strange  and 
mysterious  was  going  on.  We  are  familiar  with  the  rum- 
bling noise  of  thunder  in  the  air.  It  appears  to  be  in  its 
place  there,  but  when  the  same  sound  is  heard  deep  down 
in  the  earth,  it  seems  strange  and  unnatural. 

I  was  in  bed,  asleep,  when  the  first  shock  was  felt,  and 
of  course  knew  nothing  about  it,  till  all  was  over;  and 
when  I  heard  them  telling  how  the  ground  shook,  furni- 
ture, plates,  and  dishes  rattled  and  clattered  ;    and  the 


WAR — INDIANS — COMETS — EARTHQUAKES.  203 

house  itself  seemed  ready  to  fall,  I  regretted  that  I  had 
not  been  awake  to  see  and  hear  it  all.  But  I  was  soon  to 
be  more  than  gratified.  Your  grandfather,  like  the  rest, 
supposing  all  was  over,  had  sent  me  out  into  the  field 
early  in  the  morning  after  his  horse,  when  the  second 
shock—  much  more  violent  than  the  first — came  on.  When 
I  heard  the  rumbling  noise  and  felt  the  ground  shaking 
under  my  feet,  I  threw  away  my  bridle,  turned,  and  fled 
to  the  house  with  all  speed,  which  I  reached  in  a  badly 
demoralized  condition.  About  the  same  time,  the  neigh- 
bors who  had  just  left,  and  many  besides,  came  pouring 
in,  a  pitiable  and  terror-stricken  crowd,  and  remained  in 
and  about  the  house  and  yard  all  day,  expecting  another 
shock  every  moment.  A  few  who  lived  nearest  went 
home  for  something  to  eat,  but  were  soon  back  again. 
Toward  evening  their  uneasiness  seemed  to  increa.se,  and 
it  was  soon  apparent  they  intended  to  stay  all  night  and 
have  3'our  grandfather  preach  for  them.  Erasmus  was 
right  when  he  exclaimed  :  "  Quam  religiosus  nos  afflictio 
fadtf     How  religious  affliction  makes  us  ! 

The  weather  was  quite  cold,  and  large  fires  necessary. 
The  stout  young  fellows  took  their  axes,  and  soon  provided 
a  good  supply  of  wood,  by  splitting  up  some  large  logs, 
that  lay  in  the  way,  near  the  house.  All  seemed  serious 
and  thoughtful,  and  very  much  disposed  to  huddle  together. 
The  thought  of  the  long  dark  night  that  lay  before  them, 
and  of  what  might  befall  them,  before  another  sun  arose, 
awakened  feelings  of  anxiety  and  apprehension.  That 
night  many  knees  bent  in  prayer  that  had,  perhaps,  never 
bent  in  that  way  before.  All,  without  exception,  from  the 
least  to  the  greatest,  might  be  seen  in  that  humble  atti- 
tude, so  becoming  those  who  appear,  as  it  were,  in   the 


k 


204  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

presence  of  the  Deity,  to  implore  liis  favor  and  protection, 
in  times  of  perplexity  and  danger.  There  are  few  things 
more  impressive,  than  to  behold  a  whole  congregation  at 
once  upon  their  knees. 

In  his  discourse  that  night,  your  grandfather  told  us 
of  the  ancient  Ninevites,  who  had  become  so  wicked  that 
a  prophet  was  sent  to  warn  them  of  the  judgments  about 
to  fall  upon  them  and  their  doomed  city.  And  how,  af- 
ter all,  from  the  king  on  his  throne,  to  the  beggar  in  the 
street,  had  repented  of  their  sins  in  sackcloth  and  in 
ashes,  they  were  saved  from  the  impending  destruction. 
Then  he  exhorted  us  to  do  likewise,  as  the  Heavenly 
Father  was  merciful,  and  did  not  desire  the  death  of  the 
wicked,  but  that  all  might  repent  and  live.  He  added, 
that  with  repentance  toward  God,  and  faith  in  Christ,  we 
had  the  promise  of  the  life  that  now  is  and  of  that 
which  is  to  come,  and  would  then  be  ready  to  meet  death, 
whether  he  should  come  in  "  sunshine  or  in  storm,"  in  the 
earthquake  or  in  "  the  pestilence  that  wasteth  at  noonday." 

These  were  words  of  encouragement,  which  led  many  of 
those  present  to  repent  of  their  sins,  reform  their  lives, 
make  a  profession  of  religion,  and  honor  the  profession 
they  made,  by  a  pious  walk  and  godly  conversation. 
Others  again  who  seemed  to  have  started  well,  faltered  by 
the  way,  and  as  the  earth  became  more  and  more  steady, 
their  faith  became  more  and  more  unsteady.  These  were 
called  "  earthquake  Christians,"  to  distinguish  them  from 
those  who  held  out  faithful  to  the  end. 

During  this  winter,  night-meetings  were  held,  more  or 
less  frequently,  at  the  houses  of  the  settlers  in  our  neigh- 
borhood. And  as  the  different  groups  who  attended 
them,  were  seen  approaching  with  torches  after  dark,  from 


WAR — INDIAJfS — COMETS — EARTHQUAKES.  205 

various  points,  some  nearer,  and  others  more  distant,  the 
scene  was  both  wild  and  beautiful.  These  torches  were 
made  of  dry  poplar  rails,  split  up  into  small  pieces.  The 
light  they  made  was  very  brilliant,  when  seen  among  the 
forest  trees,  during  the  darkne.ss. 

Besides  the  religious  benefit  which  the  settlement 
received  from  your  grandfather,  he  rendered  it  valu- 
able service  in  other  respects.  When  the  spring  of 
1812  opened,  slight  shocks  of  the  earthquake  still  con- 
tinued to  be  felt  frequently,  and  some  believed  the  earth 
to  be  in  a  constant  vibratory  motion,  because,  as  they  af- 
firmed, any  one  laying  his  hand  on  the  top  rails  of  a  com- 
mon fence,  could  perceive  a  constant  movement  of  the 
rails.  On  account  of  these  things  many  became  very  de- 
spondent, and  were  little  disposed  to  make  preparation  for 
a  crop.  He  showed  them  them  how  unwise  a  course  like 
this  would  be,  since  if  they  were  spared  by  the  earthquake, 
they  might  yet  be  subjected  to  the  greatest  suffering  for 
want  of  supplies  for  themselves  and  families.  He  made 
them  more  hopeful,  too,  by  informing  them  that  there 
were  many  instances  on  record,  where  after  the  earth  had 
been  violently  agitated  for  a  time,  no  great  calamity  had 
been  sufiered  by  the  people  where  it  had  occurred. 

Although  the  earthquakes  were  very  alarming  to  us  on 
the  Cumberland,  they  were  much  more  so  at  New  Madrid 
in  southeastern  Missouri. 

In  the  journal  of  the  famous  Lorenzo  Dow,  who  attracted 
much  attention  in  the  early  part  of  the  present  century, 
and  who  will  appear  hereafter  in  our  narrative,  may  be 
found  a  letter  written  to  him,  by  a  lady  of  that  place, 
giving  a  graphic  description  of  the  earthquake  there.  In 
the  autumn  of  1836,  I  had  occasion  to  visit  New  Madrid, 
10 


206  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

and  in  riding  over  the  surrounding  country,  even  then  the 
effects  of  the  terrible  earthquake  were  everywhere  to  be 
seen.  In  places,  the  surface  of  the  earth  was  covered 
over  with  great  heaps  of  white  sand  ;  and  great  fissures, 
where  the  earth  had  opened  and  thrown  up  volumes  of 
water  and  sand  to  a  great  height,  were  visible  in  all  direc- 
tions. The  little  knoll  to  which  the  terror-stricken  crowd 
fled  in  despair  was  pointed  out  to  me.  This  being  the 
highest  spot,  they  thought  it  would  be  the  last  to  dis- 
appear, when  the  earth  sank  down,  and  the  waves  of  the 
great  river  overwhelmed  them. 

A  gentleman  who  lived  near  New  Madrid,  with  whom 
I  stayed  all  night,  entertained  me  with  a  good  many 
amusing  anecdotes,  one  or  two  of  which  I  will  repeat. 
They  were  connected  with  the  earthquakes,  or  what  he 
called  the  "  Shakes." 

He  said  there  was  at  that  time,  and  had  been  for  some 
years  previous,  near  'New  Madrid,  a  Frenchman,  some- 
what advanced  in  years,  who  had  no  fixed  home,  but  lived, 
sometimes  with  one  family,  and  then  with  another.  All 
were  glad  to  have  him  with  them,  as,  besides  being 
very  entertaining,  he  was  a  fine  hunter  and  angler,  and 
kept  the  family  with  which  he  stayed  bountifully 
supplied  with  game  and  fish  of  the  best  quality.  He 
seemed  to  have  been  finely  educated,  in  feet,  "  to  know 
every  thing,"  rather  solitary  in  his  habits,  very  religious, 
and  a  Roman  Catholic.  No  one  knew  anything  of  his 
history,  but  the  conclusion  was,  that  he  had  been  a  per- 
son of  rank  in  his  own  country,  and  probably  compelled  to 
leave  it  on  account  of  political  troubles,  and  that  he  had 
come  to  New  Madrid,  perhaps  because  a  great  many  peo- 
ple were  there  of  French  extraction,  and  speaking  the 
French  language. 


WAR — INDIANS — COMETS — EARTHQUAKES.  207 

After  the  first  shake  which  had  alarmed  them  all 
greatly,  they  came  to  the  conclusion,  as  we  did  on  the 
Cumberland,  that  all  danger  was  over,  and  began  to  think 
about  other  matters.  About  sunrise,  or  a  little  before,  he 
being  then  a  lad,  was  sent  to  look  after  some  cattle  in  the 
cane-brake,  near  the  river,  and  the  Frenchman  concluded 
to  accompany  him.  They  had  nearly  reached  the  place 
to  which  they  were  going,  when  the  terrible  noise,  deep 
under  their  feet,  began  to  be  heard.  Soon  the  tops  of  the 
tallest  trees  were  seen  to  bow  down  to  the  ground,  yawn- 
ing chasms  to  open  and  close,  with  a  noise  resembling  the 
report  of  artillery,  and  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi  in 
great  waves  to  roll  up  stream,  in  a  most  frightful  manner, 
carrying  with  them  the  boats,  and  all  other  craft  that  were 
cabled  to  the  shore. 

These  terrific  sights  and  sounds,  as  he  said,  frightened 
him  so  badly  that  somehow  the  thought  came  into  his 
head  to  get  down  upon  his  knees  and  pray,  and  accord- 
ingly down  he  went.  The  Frenchman,  who  happened  to 
be  standing  near  by,  leaning  on  his  rife,  asked  him 
"  What  he  meant  ?"  "  Going  to  pray  to  God  to  have  mercy 
on  me,"  was  the  reply. — "Ever  pray  to  God  before,  or 
thank  him  for  any  of  his  blessings  ?"  "  Never  thought  of 
such  a  thing  before  in  my  life."  "  Well,  you  mean,  piti- 
ful, cowardly  fellow,  you  shan't  do  it  now.  If  you  attempt 
it,  ril  kill  you  on  the  spot."  And  throwing  his  rifle  into 
the  hollow  of  his  left  arm,  he  sprung  the  trigger,  and 
looked  as  if  he  would  rather  do  what  he  said  than  not. 

There  he  was  between  the  earthquake  and  the  French- 
man, hardly  knowing  which  was  the  worse.  He  knew  after- 
wards that  the  man's  intention  was  to  teach  a  good  lesson 
— not  to  put  ofi^  praying  till  the  last  moment.  But  he  never 


208  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

fully  forgave  him  for  it,  and  thought  no  one  that  wanted 
to  pray  as  badly  as  he  did  at  that  time  ought  to  be  pre- 
vented, even  if  he  were  scared  into  it. 

He  related  also  an  anecdote  of  an  old  woman,  who  lived 
on  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi.  Her  husband  and  chil- 
dren all  died  from  the  unheal thiness  of  the  country,  and 
she  was  left  poor  and  lonely.  Going  down  the  river  bank 
one  day  for  water,  in  a  very  disconsolate  mood,  she  thought 
while  there  she  would  say  her  prayers.  Going  to  a  place 
where  the  bank  hung  over  a  little,  she  got  down  upon  her 
knees  and  prayed  that,  if  it  was  the  Lord's  will,  she  might 
be  taken  from  this  world  of  sin  and  sorrow,  to  another  and 
a  better,  where  her  troubles  would  end,  and  she  could  be 
at  rest.  While  thus  engaged  in  prayer,  a  slight  shock  of 
the  earthquake  occurred,  and  a  small  slide  of  earth  took 
place,  some  of  which  fell  upon  her  back.  Springing  up 
to  her  feet  and  brushing  the  sand  from  her  shoulders, 
she  said :  "Well!  I  declare!  what  is  this  world  a-comin' 
to?  I  would  like  to  know  ?  Everything  anybody  says  now- 
a-days  is  taken  for  yearnest !  "  And  she  hurried  off,  as  if 
highly  offended.  My  host  seemed  to  enjoy  this  joke 
greatly,  and  could  mimic  the  old  lady  finely. 

Peter  Cartwright,  the  famous  old  circuit-rider,  who 
could  preach  sermons,  scare  up  sinners,  whip  rowdies,  and 
tell  good  stories  with  any  one,  says  in  substance,  that  he 
was  in  Nashville  when  the  first  severe  shock  of  the  earth- 
quake was  felt,  and  saw  a  negro  woman  start  to  the  spring 
for  water,  with  an  empty  pail  on  her  head.  When  the 
earth  began  to  shake,  and  the  chimneys  and  scaffolding 
around  the  new  buildings  to  tumble  down,  she  raised  a 
shout,  and  said :  "  The  Lord  is  coming  in  the  clouds  of 
heaven  !     The  day  of  judgment !     The  day  of  judgment !  " 


WAR — INDIANS—  COMETS— EARTHQUAKES.  209 

Her  two  young  mistresses  bearing  this,  came  running  out 
of  the  house,  dreadfully  frightened,  and  begged  her  to 
stop  and  pray  for  them.  She  said  :  "  I  can't  stop  to  pray 
for  you  now.  I  told  you  how  it  would  be.  He  is  coming ! 
He  is  coming !  I  must  go  to  meet  him.  Farewell ! 
Hallelujah  !  Glory,  hallelujah !"  and  went  on  clapping 
her  hands  and  shouting. 

Old  Brother  Valentine  Cook  (he  adds),  a  man  of  "  pre- 
cious memory,"  and  his  wife  Tabitha,  were  living  at  that 
time  near  Eussellville,  Kentucky.  They  were  in  bed  when 
the  earth  began  to  shake  and  tremble.  He  sprang  out, 
threw  open  the  door,  raised  a  shout,  and  with  nothing  on 
but  his  night  clothes,  steered  his  course  easterly,  shouting, 
every  jump,  as  he  went :  "  My  Lord  is  coming !  My 
Lord  is  coming !"  His  wife  took  after  him,  also  in  her 
night-dress,  crying  at  the  top  of  her  voice :  "  Oh,  Mr. 
Cook,  don't  leave  me  !  don't  leave  me !"  "  Oh,  Tabby," 
he  said,  "  my  Lord  is  coming.  I  can't  wait  for  you,  Tab- 
by." And  hurried  on,  shouting,  as  he  went :  "  My  Lord 
is  coming !     I  can't  wait  for  you.  Tabby." 

There  were  but  few  deaths  reported  from  the  effects  of 
the  earthquakes.  One  poor  woman  at  New  Madrid  was 
said  to  have  been  so  overcome  with  terror,  that  she 
swooned  away  and  never  recovered.  In  one  of  the  boats 
that  broke  loose  from  its  moorings,  and  which  was  wrecked, 
it  was  reported,  a  woman  and  six  children  perished.  The 
most  considerable  change  effected  in  the  face  of  the  coun- 
try was  the  formation  of  what  is  called  Reelfoot  Lake,  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river  from  New  Madrid.  Here  a 
tract  of  country,  some  eighteen  or  twenty  miles  long,  and 
five  or  six  wide,  sank  down,  and  was  covered  over  with 
water,  in  some  places  to  a  considerable  depth ;  it  is  said 


210  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

also  that  the  tops  of  tall  trees  may  still  be  seen  under  the 
water,  by  those  passing  over  the  lake  in  canoes.  The 
beautiful  country  around  New  Madrid  was  nuioh  damaged 
by  the  earthquake,  and  the  people  so  much  alarmed  and 
discouraged,  that  our  government  kindly  agreed  to  take 
back  the  land  it  had  sold  them, '  and  granted  them  the 
privilege  of  removing  and  finding  new  homes  on  govern- 
ment lands  elsewhere.  Many  moved  away.  Others  sold 
their  claims  to  speculators,  and  for  several  years  there 
was  a  lively  trade  in  these  claims,  which  were  known  as 
"  floats,"  if  I  remember  rightly. 

Not  only  did  the  earthquakes  alarm  the  whites,  but 
many  of  the  Indians,  who  had  been  removed  west  of  the 
Mississippi  by  our  government,  deserted  their  new  coun- 
try, and  came  back,  supposing  the  Great  Spirit  was  angry 
with  them  for  having  deserted  the  bones  of  their  chiefs, 
their  warriors,  and  their  forefathers,  and  signified  his  dis- 
pleasure by  making  the  ground  tremble  under  their  feet.* 

Before  leaving;  the  settlements  on  the  Cumberland,  an 
account  of  which  will  be  given  in  our  next  chapter,  I  will 
remark,  that  in  the  year  1810,  as  already  observed,  the 
Eed  River  Association  met  at  our  old  Spring  Creek 
Church,  from  whose  minutes  of  that  date  I  will  make  a 
few  extracts,  thinking  they  may  be  of  some  interest  to  you. 

"  First.-^The  introductory  sermon  was  preache<]  by  Elder  Josiah 
Horn,  from  John  5:  39 — 'Search  the  Scriptures.'  " 

"  Secondly. — The  Association  met  for  business.  Prayer  by  Elder 
Lewis  Moore.  Brother  Anthony  New  chosen  Moderator,  Brother  Wil- 
liam Aingall,  Clerk,  and  Eldftr  Reuben  Ross,  Assistant  Clerk." 

"  The  number  baptized  in  all  the  churches  this  Associational  year  was 
78.     The  number  received  118.     The  number  dismissed  by  letter  also 

*  See  Putnam's  Annals. 


WAR — INDIANS — COMETS — EARTHQUAKES.  211 

llvS.  Excommunicated,  39.  Died,  9.  Total  number  of  members  1,020 
Money  in  the  treasury,  ^35.37." 

"  Six  churches  petitioned  for  admittance,  and  on  being  found  ortho- 
dox were  received." 

"  Received  with  much  pleasure  and  gratitude  correspondence  from 
Cumberland,  Green  River,  and  Wabash  Associations:  to  wit,  from  Cum- 
berland, Elders  Gaines,  McConico,  White,  and  Turner.  From  Green 
River,  Collins  and  Lamars.     From  Wabash,  Isaac  McCoy." 

"  Appointed  Elders  Reuben  Ross,  J.  Benbrooks,  I.  French,  and  An- 
thony New  a  committee  of  arrangement. 

"Appointed  Elders  White,  McConico,  Turner,  and  Moore,  to  preach 
to-morrow,  and  to  begin  at  ten  o'clock,  A.  M." 

"  Appointed  Elder  Sugg  Fort,  and  Brother  Wells,  and  Grey,  to  write 
corresponding  letters  to  Cumberland,  Green  River,  and  Kehukee  Asso- 
ciations.'' 

"  Resolved,  To  allow  Elder  Reuben  Ross  five  dollars  for  his  services 
as  messenger  to  Cumberland  Association.  Elder  John  Benbrooks  one 
dollar  and  fifty  cent^  for  his  services  tx»  Green  River  Association,  and 
Brother  Aingell  six  dollars  for  his  services  as  Clerk. 

"  Resolved,  That  Elder  Sugg  Fort  write  the  next  circular  letter  and 
choose  his  own  subject." 

"  Resolved,  That  Elder  D.  Brown,  preach  Introductory  Sermon  to  the 
next  Association,  and  in  case  of  failure.  Elder  Reuben  Ross. 

"Resolved,  That  next  Association  be  held  at  Blooming  Grove,  Mont- 
gomery County,  Tennessee,  on  Saturday  before  the  second  Sabbath  in 
Aug.,  1811." 

"After  prayer  by  Elder  D.  Brown,  the  Association  was  adjourned 
to  the  next  time  and  place  mentioned !  Anthony  New,  Moderator, 
William  Aingell,  Clerk." 

I  make  an  abstract  from  the   circular  letter  on  prayer  : 

"  With  regard  to  prayer,  it  appears  to  be  the  desire  or  breathing 
of  the  soul  to  the  great  God,  and  is  held  forth  in  Scripture,  by  drawing 
near  to  God — lifting  up  our  souls  to  him — pouring  out  our  hearts  to  him. 
It  is  said  by  some  that  the  English  word  prayer  is  too  strait:  for 
that  properly  signifies  petition,  or  request;  whereas,  humble  adoration 
and  thanksgiving  to  God  are  as  necessary  as  any  other  part  of  it;  if  so, 
it  consists  in  adoration,  thanksgiving,  and  supplication.  That  it  is  our 
duty  to  adore  him,  as  he  is  a  Being  transcendently  glorious,  self-existent 
and  independent,  infinite  and  eternal,  appears  plain,  from  both  Scrip- 
ture and  reason." 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

A   NEW   HOME    IN    MONTGOMERY    COUNTY. 

From  the  time  when  he  lost  his  liouse  on  Saline  Creek, 
in  Stewart  County,  your  grandfather  was  restless  and  un- 
easy until  he  procured  another.  Early  in  the  year  1812, 
he  purchased  on  credit  of  Mr.  Needham  Whitfield,*  about 
three  hundred  acres  of  land,  lying  in  Montgomery  County, 
Tenn.,  eight  or  nine  miles  north-west  of  Clarksville,  im- 
mediately on  the  State  line,  something  less  than  two  miles 
west  of  where  the  turnpike  road  from  Clarksville  to  Hop- 
kinsville,  Kentucky,  crosses  it.  Of  this  tract,  the  State 
line  formed  the  northern  boundary.  I  think  he  agreed  to 
pay  about  twelve  hundred  dollars  for  it,  in  such  sums  as 
he  could  spare,  annually,  after  supporting  his  family. 

Mr.  Whitfield  acted  in  a  very  liberal  and  friendly  man- 
ner in  this  transaction.  He  never  pressed  your  grand- 
father for  any  of  the  purchase  money;  but  was  satisfied 
with  the  payments  he  was  able  to  make,  from  time  to  time, 
I  think  it  was  seven  or  eight  years  before  he  was  able  to 
pay  principal  and  interest,  and  get  his  deed.  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  helping  a  little  towards  making  his  last  pay- 
ment. 

Soon  after  the  purchase  was  made,  leaving  me,  then 
about  eleven  years  old,  to  stay  with  your  grandmother  and 
the  children,  he  took  his  axe  and  went  on  his  place.     I 

*  Then,  and  until  his  death,  living  on  Spring  Creek,  in  Montgomery 
County. 

212 


A    NEW    HOME    IN    MONTGOMEEiY    COUNTY.  213 

think  he  cut  all  the  logs  to  build  his  house  with  his  own 
hands.  He  took  great  pains,  as  he  always  did  in  every- 
thing, to  select  those  that  were  straight  and  pretty.  His 
nearest  neighbor,  with  whom  he  boarded,  was  a  kind  old 
gentleman  named  Eogers,  a  member  of  his  church,  whose 
family  consisted  of  a  wife  and  an  only  son.  I  hardly  need 
say  that  they  all  became  very  much  attached  to  each 
other. 

When  ready  to  bring  his  timbers  together,  he  made  an 
arrangement  with  his  old  neighbor  and  his  son,  Joel,  to 
assist  him,  promising  to  aid  them,  in  turn,  in  housing  their 
crop  of  corn.  At  length,  having  everything  ready,  he 
collected  the  neighbors  together,  and  his  house  was  raised. 
It  had  two  rooms,  and  a  passage  between  them,  as  was 
very  common  at  that  time,  and  even  much  later.  He 
worked  hard,  in  order  to  get  one  room  ready  for  his  fiimily 
before  cold  weather  set  in,  only  coming  home  now  and 
then  to  see  us,  and  let  us  know  how  he  was  getting  on, 
and  to  answer  our  questions  about  the  new  place. 

When  one  room  was  habitable,  he  came  for  us,  and  we 
all  moved  up  to  it.  We  regretted  leaving  our  old  friends 
and  neighbors  on  the  Cumberland,  to  whom  we  had  be- 
come much  attached,  on  account  of  the  common  dangers 
and  hardships  we  had  experienced  while  living  together 
there ;  but  were  glad  to  remove  farther  from  the  Indians 
and  earthquakes,  our  new  home  being  about  twenty-five 
miles  ftirther  east.  I  always  intended  revisiting  the  old 
neighborhood  but  put  it  off  until  it  is  now  too  late.  I 
shall  never  forget  how  wild  and  beautiful  all  things 
appeared  to  me  the  first  spring  we  lived  near  Saline 
Creek. 

It  was  late  in  the  fall  when  we  reached  our  new  home. 
10* 


214 


ELDER  REUBEN   ROSS. 


There  was  not  the  slightest  improvement  on  the  place  be- 
sides the  unfinished  house.  All  around  looked  sad  and 
dreary,  especially,  when  the  wind  swept  over  the  dry  and 
withered  grass,  or  rustled  among  the  dead  leaves  of  the 
post-oak  and  black-jack  trees.  None  who  ever  witnessed 
the  desolate  appearance  of  the  Kentucky  Barrens  in  early 
times,  during  the  winter  season,  can  forget  the  feeling 
they  produced.  Far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  it  seemed 
one  barren,  cheerless  waste. 

Seen  at  this  season  of  the  year  by  the  early  explorers, 
it  is  not  strange  that  they  called  them  the  Barrens,  or  the 
barren  lands.  The  pioneer  hunters  had  no  conception  of 
their  fertility,  and  very  naturally  supposed  that  there 
were  only  a  few  stunted  trees  in  these  wide  prairies,  be- 
cause the  ground  was  so  poor.  No  greater  mistake  could 
have  been  made.  During  this  winter  I  first  saw  the  tre- 
mendous fires  caused  by  the  burning  of  the  dry  grass.  In 
many  places,  this  grass  was  very  thick  and  tall;  and 
when  perfectly  dry,  should  it  get  on  fire,  the  wind  being 
high,  the  spectacle  became  truly  sublime,  especially  at 
night.  The  country  around  far  and  wide,  would  then  be 
illuminated  by  a  lurid  light,  reflected  from  the  clouds  of 
black  smoke  in  the  upper  regions  of  the  atmosphere.  The 
flames,  when  the  wind  blew  strong,  would  move  with  such 
rapidity  that  animals  of  all  kinds  had  to  hurry  forward  to 
avoid  perishing  in  them.  They  would  sometimes  burn  the 
leaves  on  trees,  twenty,  or  thirty  feet  in  height.  Some- 
times they  would  consume  all  the  fencing  around  the 
farm,  in  spite  of  all  that  could  be  done  to  save  it. 

No  one  who  ever  witnessed  one  of  these  great  fires 
would  ever  afterward  be  at  a  loss  to  account  for  the 
scarcity  of  timber  in  the  Barrens,  as  trees  of  all  kinds,  when 


A  NEW    HOME   IN    MONTGOMERY    COUNTY.  215 

small,  were  destroyed  by  them.  Should  a  little  twig  or 
hush  put  up  from  the  ground  one  season,  it  was  sure  to  be 
burned  the  next.  The  Indians,  in  early  times,  used  to  set 
this  grass  on  fire,  when  hunting,  and  killed  great  quanti- 
ties of  game  as  it  fled  before  the  flames. 

But  if,  in  winter,  the  barrens  looked  cheerless  and 
dreary,  it  was  far  otherwise  in  spring  and  early  summer. 
It  would  be  difficult  to  imagine  anything  more  beautiful. 
Far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  they  seemed  one  vast  deep- 
green  meadow,  adorned  with  countless  numbers  of  bright 
flowers  springing  up  in  all  directions.  At  that  time  of 
the  year  I  was  sometimes  sent  to  Hopkinsville — then 
called  "  Christian  Court-house  " — distant  sixteen  or  eigh- 
teen miles.  The  whole  distance  was  a  scene  of  unvarying 
loveliness  and  beauty ;  only  a  few  clumps  of  trees  and  now 
and  then  a  solitary  post-oak  were  to  be  seen,  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach.  Here  I  first  saw  the  prairie  bird,  or 
barren-hen,  as  we  called  it,  which  I  afterwards  met  with 
in  such  vast  numbers  on  the  great  prairies  of  Illinois. 
Here  the  wild  strawberries  grew  in  such  profusion  as  to 
stain  the  hor-se's  hoofs  a  deep  red  color. 

It  is  not  strange  that  Daniel  Boone,  Finley,  Clark,  Hen- 
derson, and  others,  who  saw  Kentucky  in  its  virgin 
beauty,  gazed  upon  it  with  admiration  and  delight.  Nor 
is  it  strange  that  the  red  man  contended,  so  long  and  so 
obstinately,  for  an  inheritance  so  rich  and  so  beautiful. 

Only  a  few  years  before  we  moved  into  the  Barrens, 
their  fertility  began  to  be  known.  Before  that  time  im- 
migrants usually  settled  along  the  water  courses,  where 
they  found  timber  and  water  more  abundant,  though  land 
much  inferior  in  quality.  But  when  their  fertility  was 
known,  settlers  were  attracted  in  great  numbers;  the  want 


216  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

of  timber  and  water,  however,  were  two  great  draw- 
backs. 

Sometimes  three  or  four  families  were  compelled  to 
haul  water  for  several  miles,  from  the  same  spring,  caus- 
ing much  loss  of  time  and  no  little  trouble.  Many  deep 
wells  were  dug,  at  considerable  risk  and  expense.  Cis- 
terns would  have  remedied  the  evil,  but  they  were  then 
unknown,  and  did  not  come  into  use  till  many  years 
later. 

I  remember  to  have  heard  a  good  deal  of  a  man  whom 
all  considered  very  lucky.  He  was  the  owner  of  a  valua- 
ble tract  of  land  in  the  Barrens,  on  which  there  was  no 
water.  After  digging  a  number  of  wells,  and  failing  to 
reach  water,  he  began  to  think  of  selling  it.  About  this 
time  he  was  visited  by  a  friend  from  a  distance,  to  whom 
he  told  his  troubles,  and  in  the  course  of  conversation, 
happened  to  observe  that  he  had  seen  a  muskrat  at  a  cer- 
tain place  a  few  days  before.  His  friend  told  him  there 
was  always  water  within  a  few  yards  of  the  spot  where  this 
animal  was  seen.  On  going  to  the  place,  and  bending 
down  the  tall  grass,  they  found  just  below  the  surface  a 
beautiful  cave-spring. 

After  having  hauled  water  for  several  years,  as  others 
in  the  neighborhood  did,  and  becoming  heartily  tired, 
your  grandfather  determined  he  would  dig  a  well,  though 
it  by  no  means  suited  him  to  incur  the  expense  it  in- 
volved. There  were  men  who  professed  to  be  able  to  di- 
vine the  presence  of  water  and  its  depth  below  the  surface 
of  the  ground,  called  water-witches,  though  it  seems  they 
should  have  been  called  water-wizards. 

He  had  little  faith  in  these  pretensions,  but  to  obtain 
water  was  of  such  great  importance,  that  he  determined 


A    NEW    HOME    IN    MONTGOMERY    COUNTY.  217 

to  avail  himself  of  all  the  chances,  and  rode  some  distance 
to  find  one  of  reputation  in  this  art,  thinking  "  if  it  did 
no  good  it  would  do  no  harm." 

When  the  diviner  came,  he  wont  to  a  peach  tree  grow- 
ing in  the  yard,  and  cut  from  it  a  branch  with  two  prongs; 
tiiking  one  in  each  hand,  he  walkiid  around  some  time. 
At  length  the  end  of  the  rod  bent  down  toward  the  earth. 
Here,  he  said,  a  fine  bold  stream  of  water  would  be  found, 
by  digging  about  sixty  feet.  A  stake  was  driven  down, 
to  mark  the  spot;  a* well-digger  employed,  a  windlass  and 
bucket  provided,  the  work  commenced.  This  went  on 
with  many  alternations  of  hope  and  fear,  until  the  depth  of 
ninety  feet  was  reached,  when  it  became  too  dangerous  to 
proceed  farther,  and  the  well  was  abandoned.  Another 
sad  disappointment.  When  I  last  saw  the  place  a  mound 
of  red  earth  was  still  visible  to  mark  the  spot  where  so 
much  labor  had  been  in  vain  expended. 

As  no  land  was  cleared  on  our  new  place,  we  were  com- 
pelled for  several  years  to  rent,  preparing  three  or  four 
acres  of  our  own  land  for  cultivation  every  season.  Your 
grandfather  did  much  of  this  work  with  his  own  hands, 
being  employed  in  this  way  all  the  time  he  was  not  out 
preaching.  Many  of  his  neighbors,  being  in  good  circum- 
stances, helped  him.  Sometimes  they  sent  two  or  three 
hands  to  assist  in  making  rails,  and  doing  other  heavy 
work,  and  at  length  there  was  no  need  of  renting,  which 
relieved  him  greatly. 

Amongj  his  kindest  neio-hbors  were  Dr.  John  T.  Gil- 
mer,  and  his  brother  Nicholas,  who  removed  from  Georgia, 
and  brought  their  young  families  and  servants  w.th  them. 
They  and  their  families  soon  seemed  to  regard  us,  very 
much  as  near  relatives,  and  perhaps  there  have  been  few 


218  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

instances,  where  a  greater  degree  of  harmony,  good-will, 
and  love  subsisted  among  those  not  related.  They  be- 
longed to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  we  to  the 
Baptist,  yet  this  never  seemed  to  have  been  thought  of  by 
either  ;  but  regarding  each  other  as  Christians  and  fol- 
lowers of  the  same  Divine  Master,  all  else  seemed  to  be 
forgotten. 

These  excellent  men  are  now  no  more.  l)r.  Gilmer 
came  to  prefer  a  free  state  ;  sold  his  old  Kentucky  home ; 
removed  to  Illinois ;  and  died  there  many  years  ago.  His 
brother  Nicholas  remained  in  Kentucky  until  his  death, 
which  took  place  about  the  same  time  as  that  of  your 
grandfather.  I  remember  well,  when  he  drove  up,  within 
less  than  a  mile  of  us,  and  pitched  his  tents  among  the 
grass  and  wild  flowers,  and  remained  encamped,  until  tem- 
porary houses  were  built.  Your  grandmother  sent  your 
aunt  Polly,  aunt  Nannie,  and  myself,  to  their  encampment, 
with  butter,  milk,  eggs,  and  a  basket  of  dried  fruit,  sup- 
posing these  acceptable  after  their  long  journey,  and  thus 
our  acquaintance  began.  All  who  had  milk  cows  abounded 
in  milk  and  butter  at  this  season  of  the  year. 

Among  our  other  kind  neighbors  was  a  Mr.  James  Lock- 
ert,  a  relation  of  the  Lockert's  still  living  in  Montgomery 
County,  who  removed  to  or  near  Little  Kock,  Arkansas. 
We  were  sorry  when  he  left  us,  as  his  children  were 
our  playmates,  and  together  we  hunted  wild  grapes,  straw- 
berries, and  hazlenuts  in  the  barrens. 

Mr.  Hinton  and  his  family,  kind  and  agreeable  people, 
who  belonged  to  the  Presbyterian  Church,  were  as  regu- 
lar in  attending  your  grandfather's  meetings,  as  any  of  his 
own  denomination.  Mr.  John  Hinton,  a  graduate  of  the 
University  of  North    Carolina,  and  long  one  of  the  most 


A    NFAV    HOME    IN    MONTGOMERY    COUNTY.  219 

distinguished  teachers  in  the  country,\vasamember  of  this 
family.  Mrs.  Hinton,  the  mother,  was  very  kind  and  atten- 
tive in  times  of  sickness,  of  which  we  had  a  great  deal 
while  living  at  this  place,  and  very  much  endeared  herself 
to  your  grandmother.  Whenever  I  was  sent  to  her  house 
on  errands,  she  had  a  little  table  set  out  with  milk,  butter, 
light  bread,  and  preserves  for  me  to  eat  before  I  left.  In 
my  estimation  she  was  one  of  the  saints,  for  whose  can- 
onization, I  would  have  voted  any  day. 

The  neighbor  who  used  to  entertain  me  most,  was  an 
elderly  gentleman,  Captain  Thomas  Rivers.  He  was  a  man 
of  property ;  owned  many  negroes,  and  a  valuable  farm, 
near  what  is  now  called  Mansion's  Spring  which  then  sup- 
plied many  families  with  water.  He  was  the  grandfather 
of  the  distinguished  Methodist  Episcopal  preacher,  I  think, 
of  Louisville,  Kentucky.  Captain  Rivers,  though  a  kind- 
hearted  gentleman,  was  rough,  boisterous,  and,  as  some 
thought,  overbearing  in  his  disposition.  I  became  acquaint- 
ed with  his  boys  at  school,  and  was  often  invited  home 
with  them  to  spend  the  night,  where  I  used  to  hear  him 
relate  many  amusing  incidents  and  anecdotes  of  his  life.  He 
said  one  of  his  neighbors  permitted  his  large  flock  of  sheep 
to  run  on  his  pastures  most  of  the  time,  not  troubling  him- 
selve  to  keep  them  at  home,  whom,  he  told  one  day,  to  let 
them  remain  as  long  as  he  thought  proper,  they  should  be 
treated  just  as  if  they  were  his  own.  He  told  how  he 
killed  a  fine  mutton  every  week  for  a  long  time,  until  the 
owner  accidentally  found  it  out,  and  when  he  complained, 
asked  him  if  he  did  not  remember  his  saying  they  should 
be  treated  just  as  his  own.  The  sheep  did  not  trouble  him 
any  more. 

He  had  a  number  of  pretty  daughters,  and  it  was  said 


220 


ELDER    EEDBEN    ROSS. 


when  idle  young  fellows  would  go  to  see  them  and  stay 
longer  than  he  thought  necessary,  he  would  make  out  a 
little  bill,  charging  them  so  much  a  day  for  themselves 
and  horses, — hand  it  to  them  and  get  on  his  horse  and 
ride  over  his  farm.  On  returning  he  generally  found  his 
house  was  his  own  ;  none  of  them  ever  returned,  except 
those  who  meant  business. 

War  was  declared  against  Great  Britain  on  the  20th  of 
June,  1812,  and  no  period  in  our  country's  history,  be- 
fore our  great  civil  war,  was  shrouded  in  deeper  gloom 
than  the  first  two  or  three  years  after  our  removal  from 
the  Cumberland,  back  to  Montgomery  County.  Espe- 
cially may  this  be  said  of  the  western  people,  during  the 
last  few  months  of  1814,  Portentous  rumors  were  then 
afloat,  of  a  vast  armament,  that  was  being  fitted  out  in  the 
West  Indies,  whose  destination  was  the  capture  of  New 
Orleans,  and  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi.  And  there 
was  perhaps  not  a  well  informed  man  in  all  the  country 
who  believed  these  important  places  could  be  successfully 
defended. 

Should  the  British  effect  the  permanent  occupancy  of 
New  Orleans  and  the  Mississippi  River,  they  thought  the 
ruin  of  the  South  and  West  would  be  the  result,  as  it 
would  give  them  possession  of  our  other  great  rivers — en- 
able them  to  turn  all  the  surrounding  tribes  of  Indians 
against  us,  and  probably  succeed  in  driving  us  again  be- 
yond the  Allegheny  Mountains.  These  apprehensions  in- 
duced Kentucky  and  Tennessee  to  put  forth  all  their 
strength  in  aiding  the  heroic  Jackson  to  defend  these  vi- 
tal points. 

In  the  month  of  December,  1814,  a  number  of  volun- 
teers  were   encamped    upon   the   bleak,   snow-clad   hills 


A    NEW    HOME   IN    MONTGOMERY    COUNTY.  221 

around  Clarksville,  awaiting  transportation  to  New  Or- 
leans, where  it  Wiis  reported,  an  army  of  fourteen  thou- 
sand men  were  about  to  be  landed  Viy  the  enemy.  These 
volunteers  sent  a  request  to  your  grandfather  to  come  and 
preach  for  them,  as  often  as  he  could,  while  they  were  in 
camp.  This  request  was  promptly  complied  with,  and  he 
spent  much  of  his  time  with  them.  These  soldiers  be- 
longed to  families  in  the  surrounding  counties,  with  many 
of  whom  he  had  become  acquainted  in  his  frequent  tours 
of  preaching,  and  he  came  to  feel  a  deep  interest  in  their 
welfare,  both  temporal  and  spiritual.  When  speaking  of 
them  to  your  grandmother,  aiter  having  visited  them,  he 
would  tell  her  what  noble-looking  young  men  they  were, 
and  how  his  heart  misgave  him,  that  their  manly  forms 
would  be  seen  no  more  among  us  after  their  departure.  It 
is  well  known  that  in  those  days,  when  a  call  for  volun- 
teers was  made,  it  was  answered  first,  by  the  best  mate- 
rial— the  flower  of  manhood  of  the  country. 

At  length  he  bade  them  adieu ;  and  they  embarked  on 
their  perilous  voyage,  down  the  great  rivers  in  the  dead 
of  winter,  on  the  crowded  and  uncomfortable  flat-boats, 
but  his  heart  still  followed  them,  and  they  were  long  re- 
membered in  the  evening  prayer.  When  the  news  of  the 
great,  and  on  our  part  almost  bloodless,  victory  reached  us, 
he  was  more  moved  than  I  had  ever  seen  him  on  any  joy- 
ous occasion.  He  understood  the  crisis,  and  knew  better 
than  we,  the  greatness  of  our  deliverance,  and  the  lustre 
it  shed  upon  our  arms.  Above  all,  he  rejoiced  to  think 
that  so  many  he  never  expected  to  see  would  return  home. 
Of  this  victory  I  well  remember,  we  at  first  heard  a  vague 
rumor  as  if  floating  in  the  air.  None  could  tell  whence  it 
came.     The  whole  community  seemed  to  be  struck  with  a 


222  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

kind  of  awe,  and  repeated  what  they  had  heard  almost  in 
whispers.  The  feeling  was  much  like  that  produced  by 
the  first  uncertain  news  of  General  Taylor's  victories  over 
Santa  Anna  in  Mexico,  but  more  intense.  Could  it  bo  that 
the  course  of  victory  which  had  so  long  followed  the  arms 
of  England  had  been  checked  ?  Could  it  be,  that  our  beau- 
tiful country,  south  and  west  of  the  great  mountains,  was 
to  remain  our  own  ?  Many  suns  rose  and  set,  many  were 
the  alternations  of  hope  and  fear,  before  the  news  was 
fully  confirmed.  When  it  was,  no  bonfires  were  kindled, 
no  cannon  heard  to  boom  in  honor  of  the  great  event ; 
but  I  doubt  whether  a  greater  load  of  apprehension  and 
dread  was  ever  removed  from  any  people.  You  must  re- 
member it  was  not  war,  but  Indian-war,  that  was  so  much 
dreaded  by  our  people,  war  upon  helpless  age,  women,  and 
children.  Hope  revived ;  cheerfulness  and  gayety  returned ; 
and  many  songs  that  grew  out  of  the  events  of  the  war 
became  very  fashionable.  Especially  those  recounting  our 
brilliant  naval  victories  on  the  lakes  and  high  seas.  One 
called  "The  Eaces,"  which  referred  to  achievements  on 
land,  was  a  great  favorite.  Of  this,  I  remember  several 
stanzas,  though  not  in  their  proper  order,  as  follows  : 

"  Ross  came  to  Baltimore  and  swore, 
More  than  a  match  they'd  find  him, 
So  swift  he  ran,  from  boy  and  man, 
He  left  the  world  behind  him. 

"  When  Harrison,  the  battle  won 

On  Thames,  from  bloody  Proctor, 
Poor  Proctor's  speed,  none  could  exceed 
Not  e'en  his  aid  and  doctor. 

"  When  Packingham,  to  Orleans  came 
•Full  sure  of  easy  victory. 
Resolved  forthwith  to  try  the  pith 
And  mettle  of  old  Hickory. 


A    NEW  HOME    IN    MONTOOMERY    COUNTY.  223 

"  Grreat  was  the  stake  he  wished  to  take, 
'Twas  beauty,  sir  !  and  booty, 
And  much  the  wag  did  boast  and  brag, 
But  Jackson  knew  his  duty. 

"  He  won  alas  !  a  fatal  race, 

He  ran  till  out  of  breath,  sir  : 
His  booty  was  a  burial  place, 
His  beauty,  wounds  and  death,  sir! '' 

The  war  of  1812,  lasting  about  three  years,  was  a  period 
of  anxiety  and  trouble.  Our  extended  sea-board  was  ex- 
posed to  British  vessels  of  war,  from  Maine  to  New 
Orleans ;  our  Atlantic  towns  and  cities  destroyed,  and 
the  National  Capital  laid  in  ashes.  During  these  years, 
your  grandfather  preached  much  of  his  time,  his  labors 
greatly  lessened  by  being  nearer  his  church.  The  Baptist 
churches  in  those  days  were  often  in  trouble,  less  on  ac- 
count of  doctrine  than  of  order  and  discipline  A  mem- 
ber would  do  something  supposed  to  be  improper ;  some 
would  be  for,  and  others  against  him.  Then  one  of  the 
sister  churches  was  requested  to  send  what  were  called 
"  helps,"  that  is  discreet,  unprejudiced  men,  who  after 
hearing  both  sides,  would  advise  a  certain  course,  which 
was  usually,  though  not  always,  agreed  to.  Your  grand- 
father, being  very  persuasive  and  free  from  all  suspicion 
of  partiality,  was  in  great  request,  and  had  great  weight 
in  settling  these  troubles.  One  little  church,  called  "Cub 
Creek,"  was  nearly  always  in  "  hot  water."  Deputation, 
after  deputation  would  come  up  for  him,  to  go  down  to 
help  them.  Their  case  had  become  chronic.  At  one 
time  he  was  so  often  with  them,  that  when  brethren  would 
ride  up  to  our  gate  and  inquire  of  me  where  he  was,  I, 
(for  mischief,)  would  tell  them  I  expected  they  would  find 
him  down  about  Cub  Creek  meeting  house. 


CHAPTER  XXIL 

OUR   SCHOOL — BASCOM — MORRIS — CARTWRIGHT, 

For  several  years,  during  the  war  and  after  its  close,  I 
occasionally  attended  a  school  in  our  neighborhood.  Near 
what  was  at  first  called  River's  Spring,  but  afterward 
Hanson's,  was  built  a  school-house  and  a  little  log  meet- 
ing house  also,  called  Bethel,  for  the  use  of  the  Methodists 
of  whom  several  families  were  living  in  the  neighborhood 
This  church  still  bears  its  old  name. 

This  was  considered  a  high  school  at  that  time,  as  in  it 
were  taught  the  Latin  and  Greek  languages,  and  the  ma- 
thematics to  some  extent.  Classical  learning  was  held  in 
high  estimation  among  us  in  those  days,  and  almost  every 
one  who  could  afford  it,  had  his  boys  studying  Greek  and 
Latin,  so  that  many  who  had  but  little  knowledge  of  the 
English  branches  could  translate  Virgil  and  Horace,  Xen- 
ophon  and  Homer,  with  ease  and  elegance.  A  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  grammars,  and  a  rigid  application  of 
their  rules  were  required. 

The  education  of  the  distinguished  men  of  Kentucky 
and  Tennessee  then  began  and  ended  pretty  much  with 
the  Classics,  It  is  not  strange  that  a  thorough  course  of 
Classical  studies  has  always  been  held  in  high  estimation 
by  those  who  are  capable  of  appreciating  their  value,  since 
it  exercises  and  develops  every  faculty  of  the  mind, — 
memory,  reason,  taste,  judgment,  and  imagination.  Be- 
224 


OUR   SCHOOL  -  BASCOM — MORRIS — ■CARTWRIGHT.      225 

sides  this  a  habit  of  patient  applicjition  is  formed,  which 
is  of  priceless  vahie,  since  it  enables  the  individual  to  in- 
vestigate and  master  with  comparative  ease,  any  subject  to 
which  he  may  turn  his  attention  Most  of  the  great  phi- 
losophers, poets,  orators,  historians,  divines,  jurists,  and 
physicians  of  Europe  and  America  owe  their  renown  to 
the  mental  training  derived  from  a  thorough  study  of 
Classical  literature.  And  as  these  noble  studies  seem  at 
this  time  to  be  on  the  decline,  might  it  not  be  well  for  the 
friends  of  learning  and  progress,  to  awake  to  a  sense  of 
their  importance  and  value  ? 

Mr.  Davis,  a  young  teacher  from  East  Tennessee,  taught 
at  this  place  for  some  time,  and  was  much  esteemed  by  all 
who  knew  him.  Valentine  Barry,  son  of  Daniel  Barry, 
one  of  the  finest  classical  scholars  in  the  West  then,  or 
perhaps  since,  succeeded  him.  He  had  been  educated  in 
Ireland,  his  native  country,  taught  a  school  near  Bards- 
town,  Kentucky,  before  he  came  among  us,  and  numbered 
among  his  pupils  there  Judge  Rowan  and  Judge  W.  T. 
Barry,  as  I  have  heard.  These  were  among  Kentucky's 
great  men. 

He  left  two  sons,  Henry  and  Valentine,  whom  he  had 
educated  with  great  care.  Henry  died  young,  and  was 
lamented  by  our  whole  community,  as  he  was  highly  es- 
teemed, and  of  bright  promise.  Some  years  after  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  or  near  Louisville,  some  young 
friends  and  myself  went  to  the  burying  ground  to  seek  for 
his  grave,  but  after  spending  several  hours  reading  the  in- 
scriptions on  the  grave-stones,  we  failed  to  find  his  name. 

His  elder  brother,  Valentine,  our  teacher,  afterward 
studied  law,  and  was  appointed  Judge  of  one  of  the  courts 
of  Tennessee,  but  has  now  been  dead  many  years.     There 


226  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

were  several  sisters,  two  of  whom,  Mrs.  M.  I.  Killebrew 
and  Mrs.  N.  Johnson,  taught  schools  also.  The  former  of 
these,  (I  think)  is  still  living  in  Mississippi.  The  latter  is 
dead. 

While  in  occasional  attendance  at  this  school,  I  saw 
several  ministers  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  who 
afterwards  became  famous  in  the  West,  to  wit:  Bascom, 
Morris,  and  Cartwright.  All  of  these  I  heard  preach  in 
our  little  church,  Bethel. 

Dr.  Bascom  was  then  young,  handsome,  and  very  pre- 
possessing in  the  pulpit ;  of  a  fresh  and  ruddy  complex- 
ion, fine  head,  hair,  and  eyes,  well  formed,  and  of  good 
size.  I  only  heard  him  once.  The  impression  left  on  my 
mind  is  that  he  described  to  us  the  garden  of  Eden,  its 
beautiful  trees,  fruits,  and  flowers  ;  its  green  hills,  shady 
valleys,  and  crystal  waters.  He  told  us  how  our  first  pa- 
rents, for  disobedience,  were  driven  away  from  this  fair  in- 
heritance, and  never  again  permitted  to  behold  its  match- 
less beauty.  But,  he  added,  there  was  a  fairer  Eden,  in  a 
still  brighter  clime,  prepared  for  those  who  were  willing 
to  become  the  followers  of  Christ,  and  "  by  patient  contin- 
uance in  well-doing,  seek  for  glory,  honor,  and  immortal- 
ity." His  language  was  highly  poetical  and  beautiful. 
None  of  his  printed  sermons  can  compare  with  this,  ac- 
cording to  my  recollection,  in  beauty  of  style  and  splen- 
dor of  diction.  He  became  a  star  of  the  first  magnitude 
in  his  church,  which  still  honors  his  memory. 

Bishop  Morris,  I  heard  preach  two  or  three  times.  He 
was  rather  below  medium  height,  with  black  eyes,  black 
hair,  and  rather  dark  complexion.  His  expression  was 
solemn  though  pleasant  and  engaging.  Your  grandfather 
spoke  in  very  high  terms  of  him,  as  if  he  had  formerly 


OUR   SCHOOL  — BASCOM — MORRIS — CARTWRIGHT.      227 

made  his  acquaintance.  I  am  not  certain  whether  he  was 
a  circuit  preacher  or  a  presiding  elder  when  in  our  part 
of  the  country,  but  believe  he  was  the  latter.  I  heard 
him  preach  from  the  text  "  Pay  that,  which  thou  hast 
vowed."  He  alluded  to  our  proneness,  in  times  of  afflic- 
tion and  danger,  to  make  vows  of  repentance  and  reforma- 
tion, and  to  forget  all  these  promises  of  amendment  when 
the  danger  is  over.  He  asked  what  we  could  expect, 
when  afflictions  again  came,  and  we  implored  divine  assist- 
ance, but  the  solemn  declaration  :  "  I  will  laugh  at  your 
calamity.  I  will  mot-k  when  your  fear  cometh.  When 
your  fear  cometh  as  desolation,  and  your  destruction,  as  a 
whirlwind.  When  distress  and  anguish  cometh  upon 
you.  Then  shall  they  call  upon  me,  but  I  will  not  an- 
swer.    They  shall  seek  me  early,  but  shall  not  find  me." 

This  discourse  made  a  deep  impression  on  those  who 
heard  it.  His  manner  in  the  pulpit  reminded  me  of  your 
grandfather. 

Elder  Morris  rose  high  in  his  church.  In  1817,  he 
was  a  travelling  preacher  in  Ohio,  Kentucky,  and  Ten- 
nessee. In  1836,  he  was  elected  bishop,  by  the  General 
Conference. 

Peter  Cartwright,  I  also  heard  preach  in  our  little 
church.  He  was  slightly  above  medium  height,  well 
formed  and  muscular,  with  a  well-shaped  head  and  face, 
large  mouth  and  healthy  complexion.  He  was  born  in 
Virginia,  1785,  and  consequently  was  about  nine  years 
younger  than  your  grandfather.  In  his  autobiography, 
he  gives  a  thrilling  account  of  his  father's  removal  to  Ken- 
tucky : 

"  After  we  struck  the  wilderness,  we  hardly  travelled  a  day  (he  says) 
but  we  passed  some  white  persons  murdered  and  scalped  by  the  Indians, 


228  ELDER  REUBEN    ROSS. 

while  going  to,  or  returning  from  Kentucky,"  "  In  the  Fall  of  17!13, 
my  father,"  he  adds,  "  determined  to  move  to  what  was  then  called  the 
Green  River  country,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State  of  Kentucky. 
He  did  so.  And  settled  in  Logan  County,  nine  miles  south  of  Russell- 
ville,  and  within  one  mile  of  the  state  line." 

We  thought  we  had  managed  to  get  pretty  much  out 
of  the  world,  when  your  grandfather  moved  upon  the 
Cumberland,  but  times  were  a  little  harder  with  the  Cart. 
Wrights,  according  to  the  statements  of  Peter  Cartwright- 

"  When  my  father  settled  in  Logan  County,  there  was  not  a  news- 
paper printed  south  of  Green  River,  no  mill  short  of  forty  miles,  and  no 
schools  worth  the  name.  Sunday  was  a  day  set  apart  for  hunting,  fish- 
ing, horse-racing,  card-playing,  balls,  dances,  and  all  kinds  of  jollity 
and  mirth.  We  killed  our  meat  out  of  the  woods,  wild,  and  beat  our 
meal  and  hominy  with  a  pestle  and  mortar.  We  stretched  a  deer  skin 
over  a  hoop,  burned  holes  in  it  with  the  prongs  of  a  fork,  sifted  our 
meal,  baked  our  bread,  ate  it,  and  it  was  good  eating  too.  We  raised 
or  gathered  out  of  the  woods  our  own  tea.  We  had  sage,  bohea,  cros»- 
vine,  spice,  and  sassafras  teas  in  abundance.  As  for  coffee,  I  am  not 
sure  that  I  ever  smelled  it  in  ten  years. 

"  There  were  two  large  caves  on  my  father's  farm,  and  another  about 
half  a  mile  off,  where  was  a  great  quantity  of  material  for  making  salt- 
petre. We  soon  learned  the  art  of  making  it,  and  our  class-leader  was 
a  great  powder-maker.  When  a  considerable  quantity  of  powder  had 
been  made,  they  concluded  to  take  it  to  Fort  Massick,  a  military  post 
on  the  Ohio  River,  some  distance  above  its  mouth,  and  barter  it  for  such 
articles  as  they  most  needed.  A  large  poplar  tree  was  cut  down,  and 
made  into  a  pirogue,  which  was  launched  into  tho  Red  River,  the  pow- 
der put  on  board,  and  proclamation  made  to  the  surrounding  country, 
to  bring  in  their  bills  of  what  each  wanted,  how  much,  and  names  duly 
signed.  Some  sent  for  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  coffpe,  some  for  one 
yard  of  ribbon,  for  a  butcher  knife,  or  a  tin  cup. 

"  When  all  things  were  ready,  the  class-leader  went  on  board,  de- 
scended R.ed  River  to  the  Cumberland,  the  Cumberland  to  the  Ohio,  and 
up  the  Ohio  to  the  Fort;  made  satisfactory  exchanges,  returned,  and  for 
weeks  they  had  a  time  of  great  rejoicing  at  the  success  of  the  enter- 
prise." 


OUR   SCHOOL — BASCOM — MORRIS — CARTWRIGIIT.     229 

Peter  was  what  would  now  be  called  a  '^fast  boy ;"  at 
sixteen,  his  father  gave  him  a  race-horse  and  a  deck  of 
cards.  He  was  the  old  man's  only  son,  who,  no  doubt, 
rejoiced  at  his  precocious  boyhood.  But  Peter's  mother,  a 
pious  woman,  shed  many  bitter  tears,  when  she  saw  the 
coarse  he  was  taking.  It  seems,  though,  his  career  was 
suddenly  stopped.  He  and  his  father  had  been  invited  to 
a  wedding,  where  they  had  a  lively  time.  After  his  return 
home,  Peter  began  to  feel  very  badly.  The  blood  seemed 
to  flow  to  his  head,  his  heart  to  palpitate,  and  his  eyesight 
to  fiiil.  He  thought  his  hour  had  come,  rose  from  his 
bed,  got  down  on  his  knees,  and  began  to  pray.  His 
mother  sprang  out  of  her  bed,  kneeletl  down  beside  him 
prayed  and  exhorted  him  to  look  to  the  Saviour  for  help. 
He  did  so,  "and  then  and  there  promised,  if  the  Lord 
would  spare  his  life,  he  would  serve  him  the  rest  of  his 
days,"  which  promise  he  had  never  fully  broken.  He 
now  gave  his  race-horse  back  to  his  father,  and  re- 
quested that  he  should  be  sold,  brought  out  his  pack  of 
cards,  handed  them  to  his  mother,  who  laid  them  on  the 
fire. 

It  was  long  ere  he  was  relieved  of  his  burden  of  sin  and 
guilt.  Once  he  retired  to  a  cave  on  his  father's  land  to 
pray,  and  to  bewail  in  secret  his  unhappy  condition,  when, 
suddenly,  such  a  fear  of  the  devil  fell  upon  him,  that  he 
seemed  to  be  personally  present,  to  seize  and  drag  him 
down  to  the  bottomless  pit.  With  terror  he  sprang  to 
his  feet  and  ran  home  to  his  mother.  The  neio-hbors 
thought  Peter  had  gone  crazy,  and  his  father  released  him 
from  all  business  on  the  farm.  At  length,  during  the 
progress  of  the  great  revival  of  1800,  at  the  old  Red  Hiver 
Church,  in  your  vicinity,  where  eighty  or  ninety  were 
11 


230  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

converted,  Peter  raised  the  shout  of  victory,  and  rejoiced 
in  the  hope  of  eternal  life.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that 
Elder  Finis  Ewing,  one  of  the  founders  and  ornaments  of 
the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  was  converted  at 
the  same  time  and  place.  The  Rev,  James  McGready,  an 
able  Presbyterian  minister,  seems  to  have  been  the  leading 
spirit  in  tliese  great  meetings. 

Soon  after  his  conversion,  Peter  began  to  be  heard  in 
the  class-meeting  and  love-feast,  then  as  an  exliorter,  and, 
after  that,  as  a  circuit-rider,  in  which  capacity  his  name 
became  familiar  in  Tennessee,  Kentucky,  Ohio,  Indiana, 
and  Illinois.  When  disposed,  he  could  preach  a  scary 
sermon.  He  once  gave  us  a  glimpse  of  the  bottomless  pit 
and  what  might  be  seen  in  it.  He  leaned  over  from  the 
pulpit,  as  if  he  saw  it,  and  it  was  a  dismal  place  indeed; 
old  Dante,  in  his  vision,  never  saw  anything  more  hor- 
rible. It  was  away  down,  down,  almost  out  of  sight.  As 
the  fiery  billows  rolled  along,  one  after  another,  he  could 
see  lost  sinners  floating  upon  them,  like  wrecks  upon  a 
troubled  sea,  and  behold  their  agony.  Here  he  saw  an 
infidel,  who  used  to  be  so  flippant  when  talking  about 
hell ;  there,  a  scoffer  at  religion  ;  yonder,  a  murderer;  and 
yonder  again,  a  miserable  drunkard,  that  had  brought  his 
broken-hearted  wife  and  little  children  to  beggary  and 
ruin.  But  the  greater  number  he  saw  were  a  pack  of 
miserable  sinners,  fools,  that  had  blundered  along  like  so 
many  idiots,  just  as  if  there  had  been  no  God,  heaven,  or 
hell  in  the  universe,  until  they  dropped  into  hell,  and  the 
devil  got  them.  Over  the  dreadful  abyss,  he  would  de- 
scribe a  sinner  as  hanging  by  a  single  hair,  and  cutting  as 
many  antics  as  a  monkey,  having  no  more  idea  of  his 
danger  than  a  brute  beast,  until   the  hair  snapped,  and 


OUR  SUnOOL — BASCOM — MORRIS — CARTWRIGIIT.     231 

down  he  went.  One  would  suppose  these  extravagant  and 
frightful  pictures  would  have  had  no  good  effect.  But  they 
sometimes  took  such  hold  on  the  imagination  of  thought- 
less and  wicked  men,  as  to  wake  them  up,  lead  them  to 
repent  of  their  wickedness,  reform  their  lives,  and  become 
exemplary  Christians.  It  seems  that  a  real  bad  scare  is 
now  and  then  not  without  its  use,  especially  if  nobler  mo- 
tives fail  of  success. 

Elder  Cartwright  belonged  to  the  church  Tnilitant, 
fought  gallantly  for  his  religious  dogmas,  and,  according 
to  his  own  account,  had  the  rare  good  fortune  to  conquer 
in  all  his  battles.  Baptists,  Reformers,  Unitarians,  New 
Lights,  Universalists,  Mormons,  and  Shakers,  all  fell  under 
the  blows  of  his  ponderous  battle-axe.  Nor  did  it  fare 
better  with  the  blackguards,  ruffians,  and  rowdies  that  hung 
around  his  camp-meetings.  They  too,  sooner  or  later, 
were  doomed  to  come  to  grief. 

He  did  not  see  the  necessity  of  theological  schools,  and 
an  educated  ministry,  since,  to  use  his  own  words,  "  God, 
when  he  wants  a  great  and  learned  man,  can  easily  over- 
take some  learned  sinner,  shake  him  awhile  over  hell,  as 
he  did  Saul  of  Tiirsus,  knock  the  scales  from  his  eyes,  and, 
without  any  previous  theological  training,  send  him  to 
preach  Christ  and  the  Resurrection."  "  A  powerful  con- 
viction and  a  sound  conversion"  were  held  in  high  estima- 
tion by  him,  and  these  might  be  begun  and  finished  in 
a  few  hours,  where  the  good  work  was  progressing,  with 
energy  and  power. 

For  many  years  it  seems  to  have  been  his  chief  delight, 
at  his  great  camp-meetings,  "  to  ride  the  whirlwind  and 
direct  the  storm,"  "  to  see  men,"  according  to  his  own  ex- 
pression, "  fall  around  him,  as  if  slain  in  mighty  battle." 


232  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

By  day,  the  scene  was  picturesque  and  striking,  but  at 
night  it  became  wild  and  weird  beyond  description. 

To  stand  apart  and  listen  to  the  groans  and  lamenta- 
tions, the  prayers  and  exhortations,  the  shouts  and  halle- 
lujahs, of  the  vast  crowd,  mingled  with  the  voices  of  the 
preachers,  in  the  dimly  illuminated  encampments,  would 
produce  impressions  never  to  be  forgotten. 

At  the  close  of  the  sketch  of  his  eventful  life,  written 
by  himself,  when  far  from  his  "  old  Kentucky  home,"  and 
the  old  churcli  where  he  was  converted ;  he  begs  his 
brethren  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  "  not  to  let 
camp-meetings  die  out."  And  says  in  his  pathetic  lan- 
guage :  "  He  wants  to  see  their  revival  before  he  descends 
from  the  walls  of  Zion  and  goes  hence." 

At  the  time  of  which  we  are  speaking,  the  great  revival 
of  1800  was  still  felt  by  the  people  of  the  West, — and 
especially  by  the  Methodist  and  Presbyterian  communi- 
ties. From  the  latter  of  these  a  new  denomination  arose, 
destined  to  rank  high  as  a  religious  organization  —  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church.  Elder  Cartwright  saw 
the  beginning  and  the  end,  and  was  a  chief  actor  in  the 
wonderful  drama. 

As  this  was  an  important  event  in  the  times  of  your 
grandfather,  I  propose  giving  you  a  short  account  of  it  in 
our  next  chapter. 


CHAPTEE    XXIII. 

GREAT    REVIVAL,    AND    ITS    PHENOMENA. 

In  the  year  1799,  several  ministers  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  Elders  McGready,  Hoge,  and  Kankin,  and  one 
belonging  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Elder  John 
McGee,  held  a  sacramental  meeting,  at  the  old  Red  Ptiver 
Church,  which  stood  on  or  near  the  same  site  as  the  church 
of  that  name  now  does.  The  meeting  drew  together  a 
large  congregation,  considering  the  thinly  settled  country. 

On  Sunday  Elder  Hoge  preached  and,  as  he  was  often 
heard  to  say  afterwards,  addressed  the  assemblage  with  a 
freedom  and  power,  never  before  felt.  The  hearers  though 
riveted  in  their  attention,  remained  silent  and  quiet.  As 
he  closed  his  discourse.  Elder  John  McGee  rose,  singing, 

Come,  Holy  Spirit,  Heavenly  Dove, 

With  all  thy  quickening  powers, 
Kindle  a  flame  of  sacred  love, 

In  these  cold  hearts  of  ours. 

He  had  not  sung  more  than  the  verse  quoted,  when  an 
aged  lady,  Mrs.  Pacely,  sitting  quite  across  the  congrega- 
tion to  the  left,  and  Mrs.  Cl?irk,  also  advanced  in  years, 
seated  to  the  right,  began  in  rather  suppressed  but  dis- 
tinct tones,  to  hold  a  sort  of  dialogue  with  each  other,  and 
to  reciprocate  sentiments  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  to 
the  Most  High,  for  his  grace  in  redemption.  Still  the 
])reacher  sang  on,  and  the  venerable  ladies  praised  God, 

233 


234  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

in  louder  tonas.  The  preacher,  still  singing  came  down 
from  the  pulpit,  intending  to  take  the  hands  of  these  two 
happy  old  sisters ;  shaking  hands,  however,  as  he  passed 
along,  with  all  those  within  his  reach.  Suddenly  persons 
began  to  fall  as  he  passed  through  the  crowd— some  as 
dead;  some  most  piteously  crying  for  mercy  ;  and  a  few, 
here  and  there,  lifting  their  voices  high,  in  the  praise  of 
the  Redeemer.  Among  these  last  was  Elder  William 
McGee,  who  fell  to  the  floor,  and,  though  shouting  praises, 
was  for  some  time  so  overpowered  as  to  be  unable  to  rise. 
The  other  ministers,  McGready,  Hoge,  and  E,ankin,  were 
so  surprised  and  astonished  at  this  apparent  confusion  in 
the  house  of  the  Lord,  that  they  made  their  way  out  of  the 
door,  and  stood  asking  each  other  in  whispers,  "  what  is 
to  be  done."  Elder  Hoge  looking  in  at  the  door,  and  see- 
ing all  on  the  floor,  praising  or  praying,  said,  "  We  can  do 
nothing.  If  this  be  of  Satan,  it  will  soon  come  to  an  end ; 
but  if  it  is  of  God,  our  efforts  and  fears  are  in  vain.  I 
think  it  is  of  God,  and  will  join  in  ascribing  glory  to  his 
name." 

He  walked  into  the  house  where  the  others  presently 
followed.  Rapidly  those  who  had  fallen  to  the  floor 
mourning  and  crying  for  mercy,  arose,  two  or  more  at  a 
time,  shouting  praise,  for  the  evidences  felt  in  their  own 
souls,  of  sins  forgiven — for  ''  redeeming  grace  and  dying 
love."  So  there  remained  no  more  place  that  day,  for 
preaching  or  administering  the  Supper.  From  thirty  to 
forty,  that  evening,  professed  to  be  converted. 

Thus  began  that  wonderful  religious  movement,  which 
not  only  pervaded  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  and  Ohio,  but 
crossed  the  mountains,  and  spread  over  many  of  the  states 
on    the  Atlantic  seaboard.     On   account  of   the  strange 


GREAT    REVIVAL,    AND   ITS    PHENOMENA.  235 

bodily  agitations  attending  it,  it  was  considered  the  most 
wonderful  event  of  the  times. 

"  The  next  appointment  was  for  the  Saturday  and  Sun- 
day following,  at  what  is  to  this  day  called  the  Beach 
Meeting  House,  situated  a  little  south  of  the  Cumberland 
Ridge,  ten  miles  west  of  Gallatin,  Sumner  County,  Ten- 
nessee." Here  a  vast  crowd  assembled,  and  scenes  simi- 
lar to  those  at  E,ed  River  Meeting  house  transpire<l. 
But  the  most  wonderful  meeting  was  at  Muddy  River 
Church,  a  few  miles  north  of  Russellville,  Kentucky, 
the  Sunday  after.  "  The  people  came  in  from  the 
two  states  twenty,  thirty,  fifty,  and  even  a  hundred 
miles.  Some  came  in  tented  wagons,  some  in  open 
wagons,  some  in  carts,  some  on  horse  back,  and  many 
on  foot." 

The  meeting  house,  hours  before  preaching  commenced, 
could  not  seat  the  third  part  of  those  on  the  ground. 
And  still  they  came  by  dozens,  fifties,  and  Imndreds.  A 
temporary  pulpit  was  quickly  erected  under  the  shady 
trees,  and  seats  made  of  large  trees  felled  and  laid  upon 
the  ground.  The  preaching  commenced,  and  soon  the 
presence  of  the  all-pervading  Power  was  felt,  throughout  the 
vast  assembly. 

"  As  night  came  on  it  was  apparent  the  crowd  di<l  not  intend  to  dis- 
perse. Wliat  was  to  be  done  ?  Some  took  wagons,  and  hurried  to 
bring  in  straw  from  barns  and  treading-yards.  Some  fell  to  sewing  tlie 
wagon  sheets  together,  and  others  to  cutting  forks  and  poles,  on  which 
to  spread  them.  Counterpanes,  coverlets,  and  sheets  were  also  fastened 
together,  to  make  tents  or  camps.  Others  were  dispatched  to  town  and 
to  the  nearest  houses  to  collect  bacon,  meal,  flour,  with  cooking  utensils 
to  prepare  food  for  the  multitude.  In  a  few  hours  it  was  n  sight  to  see 
how  much  was  gathered  together  for  the  encampment." 


230  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

"  Fires  were  made,  cooking  begun ;  and  by  dark, 
candles  lighted,  and  fixed  to  a  hundred  trees  ;  and  here 
was  the  first,  and  perhaps  the  most  beautiful  camp  ground 
the  world  ever  saw.  "  (See  Smith's  Legends  of  (he  War 
of  the  Revolution.) 

Barton  W.  Stone,  at  that  time  in  the  fellowship  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  Pastor  of  the  Cane  Pvidge  and 
Concord  congregations,  m  Bourbon  County,  Kentucky, 
heard  of  the  mighty  work  going  on  in  southern  Kentucky, 
and  determined  to  go  down  and  see  for  himself.  He  seems 
to  have  been  a  man  of  fine  talents,  respectable  learning, 
spotless  character,  and  childlike  simplicity ;  but  easily 
attracted  by  what  was  strange  and  marvelous.  Early  in 
the  spring  of  1801,  he  set  out  for  Logan  County,  to  attend 
one  of  the  great  camp  meetings. 

"  On  arriving,"  he  writes,  "  I  found  the  multitude  assembled  on  the 
edge  of  a  prairie,  where  they  continued  encamped  many  successive  days 
and  nights,  during  all  which  time,  worship  was  being  conducted  in  some 
parts  of  the  encampment.  The  scene  to  me  was  passing  strange.  It 
baffles  description.  Many,  very  many,  fell  down,  as  men  slain  in  battle, 
and  continued,  for  hours  together,  in  a  comparatively  breathless  and 
motionless  state.  Sometimes  for  a  few  moments  reviving  and  exhibiting 
symptoms  of  life,  by  a  deep  groan,  or  piercing  shriek,  or  by  a  prayer 
for  mercy  most  fervently  uttered.  After  lying  thus  for  hours,  they  ob- 
tained deliverance.  The  gloomy  cloud  that  had  covered  their  faces, 
seemed  gradually  and  visibly  to  disappear ;  and  hope,  in  smiles,  to 
brighten  into  joy.  They  would  then  arise,  shouting  deliverance,  and 
address  the  surrounding  multitude  in  language  truly  eloquent  and  im- 
pressive. With  astonishment  did  I  hear  women  and  children  declaring 
the  wonderful  works  of  God  and  the  glorious  mysteries  of  the  gospel. 
Their  appeals  were  solemn,  heart-rending,  bold,  and  free.  Under  such 
addresses,  many  others  would  fall  down  in  the  same  state,  from  which 
the  speakers  had  just  been  delivered. 

"  Two  or  three  of  my  particular  acquaintances  from  a  distance,  were 
struck  down.  I  sat  patiently  by  one  of  them,  whom  I  knew  to  be  a 
careless  sinner,  for  hours,  and  observed  with  critical  attention,  every 


GREAT    REVIVAL,    AND    ITS    PnENOMENA.  237 

thing  that  passed,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end.  I  noticed  the  momen- 
tary revivings  as  from  death,  the  humble  confession,  the  fervent  prayer, 
and  ultimate  deliverance  ;  then,  the  solemn  thanks  and  praise  to  God, 
the  affectionate  exhortation  to  companions  and  to  the  poople  round  to 
repent  and  coihe  to  Jesus.  I  was  astonished  at  the  knowledge  of  gospel 
truth  displayed  in  these  exhortations.  The  effect  was  that  several  sank 
down  into  the  same  appearance  of  death.  After  attending  to  many  such 
cases,  my  conviction  was  complete,  that  it  was  a  good  work,  nor  has  my 
mind  wavered  since  on  the  subject." 

Elder  Stone,  in  chapter  sixth  of  his  book,  enumerates  six 
kinds  of  bodily  agitations  during  this  great  excitement. 
The  falling  exercise ;  the  jerks;  the  dancing  exercise;  the 
barking  exercise;  the  laughing  exercise;  and  the  singing 
exercise. 

"The  falling  exercise,"  he  says,  "  was  very  common  among  all  classes, 
both  saints  and  sinners  of  every  age,  and  everj'  grade,  from  the  philos- 
opher to  the  clown.  The  subject  of  this  exercise,  would  generally,  with 
a  piercing. scream,  fall,  like  a  log,  on  the  floor,  earth,  or  mud,  and  appear 
as  dead. 

"The  jerks  cannot  be  so  easily  described.  Sometimes,  the  subject  of 
the  jerks  would  be  affected  in  the  whole  system.  When  the  head  alone 
was  affected,  it  would  be  jerked  backward  and  forward,  or  from  side  to 
side,  so  quickly  that  the  features  of  the  face  could  not  be  distinguished. 
When  the  whole  system  was  affected,  I  have  seen  a  person  stand  in  one 
place,  and  jerk  backwards  and  forward,  in  quick  succession,  their  hands 
nearly  touching  the  floor  behind  and  before.  All  classes,  saints  as  well 
as  sinners,  strong  as  well  as  weak,  were  thus  affected.  They  could  not 
account  for  it,  but  some  have  told  me,  these  were  among  the  happiest 
moments  of  their  lives. 

"The  dancing  exercise  generally  began  with  the  jerks,  and  was  pecu- 
liar to  professors  of  religion.  The  subject,  after  jerking  awhile,  began 
to  dance,  and  then  the  jerks  would  cease.  Such  dancing  was  indeed 
heavenly  to  the  spectators.  There  was  nothing  in  it  like  levity,  or  cal- 
culated to  excite  levity  in  beholders.  The  smile  of  heaven  shone  in  the 
countenance  of  the  suliject,  and  assimilated  to  angels,  appeared  the 
whole  person.     [Rather  highly  colored  !] 

"  The  barking,  as  opposers  contemptuously  called  it,  was  nothing  but 
the  jerks.     A  person  afflicted  with  the  jerks,  especially  in   the   head, 

11* 


238  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

would  often  make  a  grunt  or  a  bark,  (if  you  please)  from  the  suddenness 
of  ihe  jerk.  This  name  "  barking,"  seems  to  have  had  its  origin  from  an 
old  Presbyterian  preacher  of  East  Tennessee,  He  had  gone  into  the 
fields  for  private  devotion,  and  was  seized  with  the  jerks.  Standing 
near  a  sapling,  he  caught  hold  of  it,  to  prevent  his  falling,  and  as  his 
head  jerked  back,  he  uttered  a  grunt,  or  kind  of  noise  similar  to  a  bark, 
his  face  being  turned  upward.  Some  wag  discovered  him  in  this  posi- 
tion, and  reported  that  he  found  him  barking  up  a  tree. 

"  The  laughing  exercise  was  frequent,  confined  solely  to  the  religious. 
It  was  a  loud,  hearty  laughter,  but  one  sui  generis.  It  excited  laughter 
in  no  one  else.  The  subject  appeared  rapturously  solemn,  and  his 
laughter  excited  solemnity  in  saint  and  sinner.  It  was  truly  indescrib- 
able. 

"  The  running  exercise,  was  nothing  more  than  that  persons,  feeling 
something  of  these  bodily  agitations,  through  fear  attempted  to  run  away, 
and  thus  escape  from  them,  but  it  commonly  happened  that  they  ran 
not  far  before  they  fell  or  became  so  greatly  agitated,  they  could  pro- 
ceed no  farther. 

"  The  singing  exercise  is  more  unaccountable  than  anything  I  ever 
saw.  The  subject,  in  a  very  happy  state  of  mind,  would  sing  most 
melodiously,  not  from  the  mouth  or  nose,  but  from  the  breast  entirely, 
the  sound  issuing  thence.  Such  music  silenced  everything  and  attracted 
the  attention  of  all.  It  was  most  heavenly.  None  could  ever  be  tired 
of  hearing  it.  Dr.  J.  P.  Campbell  and  myself,  were  together  at  a  meet- 
ing, and  were  attending  to  a  pious  lady  thus  exercised,  and  concluded 
it  to  be  something  beyond  anything  we  had  ever  known  in  nature." 

This  is,  in  part,  what  Elder  Stone  saw  and  heard,  when 
he  visited  Southern  Kentucky,  in  1801,  at  the  commence- 
ment of  these  strange  exercises,  expressed  in  his  naive,  or 
artless  way.  Lorenzo  Dow,  while  on  a  tour  of  preaching 
in  1804,  says: 

"  I  passed  by  a  meeting  house,  where  I  observed  the  undergrowth 
had  been  cut  down  for  a  camp-meeting,  and  from  fifty  to  one  hundred 
sajilings  cut  off  about  breast  high,  and  on  inquiring  about  it,  learned 
that  they  had  been  left  for  the  people  to  jerk  by. 

This  excited  his  curiosity,  and  on  going  round,  he 
"  found  where  the  people  had  laid  hold  of  them  and  jerked 


GREAT  REVIVAL,    AND    ITS    RHENOMENA.  239 

SO  powerfully  that,  they  had  kicked  up  the  earth,  like 
horses  in  fly-time  "  !  He  believed  the  jerking  was  "  en- 
tirely involuntary,  and  not  to  be  accounted  for,  on  any 
known  principle." 

Peter  Cartwright,  in  his  book,  speaks  of  the  strange 
bodily  exercises  of  the  times,  and  seems  to  have  been  rather 
amused  at  what  he  sometimes  saw. 

"  Just  in  the  midst  of  our  controversies  on  the  subject  of  the  powerful 
exercises  among  the  people  under  preaching,  a  new  exercise  broke  out 
among  us  called  the  jerks,  which  was  overwhelming  in  its  effects  upon 
the  bodies  and  minds  of  the  people.  No  matter  whether  they  were 
saints  or  sinners,  they  would  be  taken  under  a  warm  song  or  sermon 
and  seized  with  a  convulsive  jerking  all  over,  which  they  could  not  by 
any  possibility  avoid.  And  the  more  they  resisted,  the  more  violently 
they  jerked.  If  they  would  not  strive  against  it  and  pray  in  good  ear- 
nest, it  would  usually  abate.  I  have  seen  more  than  five  hundred  per- 
sons jerking  at  once  in  my  large  congregations.  Most  usually,  persons 
taken  with  the  jerks,  to  obtain  relief,  as  they  said,  would  rise  up  and 
dance— some  would  run,  but  could  not  get  away — some  would  resist, — 
on  such  the  jerks  were  most  severe. 

"  To  see  those  proud  young  gentlemen  and  ladies,  dressed  in  their 
silks,  jewelry,  and  prunella  from  top  to  toe,  take  the  jerks,  would  often 
excite  my  risibility.  The  first  jerk  or  two  you  would  see  their  fine  bon- 
nets, caps,  and  combs  fly,  and  their  long,  loose  hair  crack  almost  as  loud 
as  a  wagoner's  whip." 

He  tells  an  amusing  story  of  two  young  men  who 
brought  their  sisters  to  meeting  one  day,  each  armed  with 
a  horsewhip,  and  told  the  crowd  that  if  Cartwright  gave 
their  sisters  the  jerks,  they  intended  to  horse-whip  him. 
The  girls  went  in,  took  their  seats,  and  the  youngsters 
stood  at  the  door.  Being  a  little  unwell  that  day,  and 
having  a  vial  of  peppermint  in  his  pocket,  just  as  he  rose 
to  commence  preaching  he  drank  a  little  of  it.  The  young 
fellows,    keeping  their  eyes  on    him   steadily,  saw    this. 


240  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

While  in  the  midst  of  his  sermon  the  girls  fell  to  jerking 
violently.  When  he  had  finished,  and  came  down  from 
the  pulpit,  he  was  told  by  a  friend  to  be  on  his  guard,  as 
there  were  some  fellows  at  the  door  who  intended  to  whip 
him.  On  hearing  this,  he  went  to  them,  and  asked  why 
they  were  going  to  whip  him  ?  They  answered,  because 
he  had  given  their  sifters  the  jerks.  He  told  them  he 
had  not  given  them  the  jerks.  They  replied  he  had, 
for  they  saw  him  with  the  medicine  he  carried  about  with 
him  for  that  purpose.  He  then  said,  if  he  had  given  the 
girls  the  jerks  he  reckoned  he  could  give  it  to  them  too, 
and  commenced  taking  his  peppermint  out.  At  this  the 
young  fellows  wheeled,  took  to  their  heels,  and  he  saw  no 
more  of  them. 

Elder  Stone  tells  us  he  had  never  seen  anyone  injured 
by  the  jerks;  but  Ekler  Cartwright  says: 

"  During  a  camp-meeting,  at  a  p!ace  called  the  Ridgo,  in  William  Mc- 
Gee's  congregation,  there  was  a  very  large,  drinking  man,  cursing  the 
jerks  and  all  religion  together.  Soon  he  commenced  jerking  himself  and 
started  to  run,  but  could  not  get  away.  He  then  took  out  his  bottle  of 
whisky  and  swore  he  would  drink  the  jerks  to  death,  but  jerked  so  vio- 
lently he  could  not  get  the  bottle  to  his  mouth,  though  he  tried  very 
hard  to  do  so.  At  length  he  fetched  a  very  violent  jerk,  snapped  his 
neck,  fell,  and  soon  expired,  surrounded  by  a  very  large  crowd." 

After  Elder  Stone  had  spent  some  time  in  Southern 
Kentucky,  he  returned  to  Cane  Ridge,  and  related  the 
strange  things  he  had  seen  and  heard.  The  people  seemed 
to  be  solemnly  impressed,  and  much  feeling  was  mani- 
fested. During  the  second  sermon  he  preached,  after  his 
return,  two  little  girls  were  struck  down,  and  the  most 
intense  excitement  ensued,  which  overspread  the  whole 
country.     At  some  of  the  great  camp-meetings  that  fol- 


GREAT    REVIVAL,    AND    ITS    PHENOMENA.  241 

lowed,  it  was  thought  that  from  twenty  to  twenty-five 
thousand  people  were  present,  and  bodily  exercises  of  the 
most  wonderful  character  were  there  likewise. 

Thus  for,  no  one,  in  public,  had  venture<l  to  say  aught 
against  these  strange  phenomena,  every  one  being  as  it 
were  overawed  by  what  they  saw  and  heard.  But  at 
length,  during  a  great  camp-meeting  near  Paris,  Ken- 
tucky, a  Presbyterian  minister  arose  and  in  the  strongest 
terms  denounced  what  he  saw  as  extravagant  and  mon- 
strous. A  party  took  ground  against  it  immediately.  A 
bitter  opposition  arose,  and  from  that  day  the  wonderful 
movement  began  sensibly  to  decline. 

B.  W.  Stone,  Richard  McNamar,  John  Dunlavy,  John 
Thomson,  Robert  Marshall,  and  David  Purviance^  the 
leading  spirits  of  the  revival,  finally  seceded  from  the 
mother  church  and  formed  a  new  organization  called  the 
Springfield  Presbytery.  A  year  or  two  after,  they  aban- 
doned this  enterprise  and  Presbyterianism  likewise,  and 
formed  a  new  body  which  they  called  the  "  Christian 
Church,"  but  which  others  called  New  Lights,  if  I  remem- 
ber rightly. 

This  body  held  many  of  the  views  which  characterized 
Elder  Campbell's  Reformation;  and  Elder  Stone  intimates 
pretty  clearly,  in  his  book,  that  they  had  adopted  his 
views,  or  stolen  his  thunder,  especially  the  famous  dogma, 
"  baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins." 

The  Shakers  came  along,  however,  and  took  off  two  of 
his  preachers,  Dunlavy  and  McNamar.  Marshall  and 
Thomson  went  back  to  the  Presbyterians  and  Elders  Stone 
ind  Purviance  united  with  the  Reformers ;  and  thus  the 
old  "  Christian  Church "  finally  disappeared  in  Elder 
Campbell's  Reformation,  which  has  adopted  the  old  name 
again,  "  Christian  Church." 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

CUMBERLAND    PRESBYTERIANS, 

The  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  so  called  be- 
cause it  was  organized  in  the  valley  of  the  Cumberland, 
arose  out  of  the  great  religious  movement  at  this  time. 

The  revival  of  1800  extended  from  Logan  County,  Ken- 
tucky, into  the  border  counties  of  Tennessee,  and  many 
were  added  to  the  Presbyterian  Churches.  Many  more 
ministers  were  needed  to  organize  churches  and  adminis- 
ter the  ordinances.  Although  there  were  a  number  of 
able  and  pious  preachers  among  them,  the  mother  church 
would  not  ordain  them,  since  their  education  was  not  such 
as  the  rules  of  the  church  required  ;  and,  in  addition,  they 
were  considered  rather  unsound  in  their  faith  in  regard  to 
Election  and  Predestination,  and  altogether  too  noisy  in 
their  meetings  and  worship.  The  celebrated  Gideon 
Blackburn  expressed  the  sentiments  of  the  old  order  when 
he  told  Elder  Barnett  that  "  noise  and  nonsense  never  con- 
verted anybody,  or  the  world  would  have  been  converted 
by  thunder  long  ago." 

After  much  dissatisfaction  and  contention,  these  deter- 
mined to  withdraw  from  the  mother  church  and  organize 
an  independent  presbytery,  which  was  effected  in  1810  by 
Elders  Finis  Ewing,  Samuel  King,  and  Samuel  MciVdoo, 
in  Dixon  County,  Tennessee.  This  is  now  a  large  and 
flourishing  body  of  Christians,  and  spread  over  the  great 
242 


CUMBERLAND    PRESBYTERIANS.  243 

Viilley  of  the  Mississippi,  south  and  west.  As  to  their 
doctrinal  views,  they  occupy  a  sort  of  middle  ground  be- 
tween Calvinists  and  Arminians.  Their  church  govern- 
ment is  similar  to  that  of  the  Presbyterian,  from  which 
they  separated. 

The  leaiiing  spirit  in  this  movement  was  the  celebrated 
Finis  Ewing,  a  man  of  marked  ability  and  great  influence. 
Though  he  had  been  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
for  several  years,  he  was  not  truly  converted,  according  to 
Dr.  Cassett,  his  biographer,  until  the  great  revival  at  old 
Red  River  Church.  He  was  a  very  able  preacher  and  a 
great  revivalist.  I  heard  him,  when  a  boy,  preach  the 
funeral  discourse  of  Mr.  James  Jeffries,  one  of  our  neigh- 
bors. He  compared  human  life  to  a  narrow  isthmus  lying 
between  two  shoreless  oceans,  and  human  beings  as  emerg- 
ing from  one  of  these,  hurrying  swiftly  across  the  narrow 
slip  of  land,  and  then  plunging  into  the  other,  no  more  to 
be  seen  forever.  Yet,  during  this  brief  transit,  we  had  to 
decide  the  momentous  question  of  endless  happiness  or 
endless  woe ! 

He  organized  a  very  flourishing  church  near  Trenton, 
Todd  County,  Kentucky,  near  which  he  lived  for  many 
years.  This  place  was  famous  for  camp-meetings.  All 
the  marvelous  bodily  exercises  and  agitations,  before  de- 
scribed, were  seen  there  as  late  as  1816  or  1817,  and 
people  from  far  and  near  were  attracted. 

At  length,  land  in  that  part  of  Kentucky  was  found  to 
be  eminently  suited  to  the  growth  and  culture  of  tobacco, 
and  accordingly  rose  in  value.  The  first  settlers,  who 
mostly  composed  the  membership  of  the  Lebanon  Church, 
tempted  by  the  rise  in  the  price  of  land,  began  to  sell  their 
larms  to  immigrants  from  Virginia,  and  to  remove  to  Mis- 


I 


244  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

souri.  Elder  Ewing,  who  said,  "  the  country  was  destined 
to  be  occupied  by  tobacco-makers  and  Baptists,"  deter- 
mined to  go  with  his  flock  to  Missouri;  and  in  May,  1820, 
he  bade  adieu  to  old  Lebanon,  "  the  mother  of  churches, 
and  glory  of  Southern  Kentucky,"  as  Dr.  Cassett  fondly 
terms  it,  and  turned  his  face  toward  the  distant  Missouri, 
far  from  the  theater  of  his  early  life  and  fame.  He  settled  in 
Cooper  County,  Missouri,  where  he  soon  built  up  a  flour- 
ishing church,  which  from  a  fond  recollection  of  the  old 
one  he  had  left  in  Kentucky,  he  named  New  Lebanon. 
To  this  a  camp-ground  was  added.  He  lived  in  this  state 
till  1841,  when  his  pilgrimage  ended. 

Dr.  Cassett  says  :  "The  Baptist  influence  was  promoted 
here,  by  the  instrumentality  of  two  pious  and  devoted 
Baptist  ministers — Elders  Tandy  and  Bourne,  who 
preached  in  the  demonstration  of  the  Spirit,  and  in  power ; 
a  blessed  work  of  grace  ensued,  and  flourishing  Baptist 
churches  were  collected,  on  the  very  ground,  once  occupied 
by  the  Lebanon  congregation." 

So  far  as  I  have  learned,  the  great  religious  excitement 
of  the  times,  was  hardly  felt  by  the  Baptists.  I  think 
it  never  or  very  rarely  appeared  at  their  meetings,  in  the; 
shape  of  any  bodily  agitations,  which  fact  seems  to  give 
plausibility  to  the  opinion  that  they  seldom  appear  to  any 
great  extent  where  they  are  not  encouraged. 

I  have  witnessed  but  one  instance  of  the  kind  at  a  Bap- 
tist ^meeting.  While  we  were  living  near  Port  Eoyal, 
when  your  grandfather  was  preaching,  a  Miss  McFadin  was 
taken  with  the  jerks.  Could  it  have  been  possible,  the 
poor  woman  would  have  been  stared  out  of  countenance. 
I  watched  her  closely  and  expected  to  see  her  faW  to  the 
floor  every  moment.     But  she  did  iiot,  and  when  preach- 


I 


CUMBERLAND    rRESBYTERIAH^-  245 

ing  was  over  went  to  her  horse,  and  Wiis  helped  on  it,  still 
jerking.  I  did  not  think  it  possible  for  her  to  keep  her 
seat  in  the  saddle,  but  as  f\ir  ixs  we  could  see  her,  she  held 
on,  still  jerking.  The  expression  of  her  countenance  was 
both  unnatural  and  unpleasant,  altogether  unlike  the  hea- 
venly beauty  witnessed  by  Elder  Stone.  I  think  she  never 
spoke  after  the  jerks  came  on,  but  looked  like  one  who  was 
weary  and  needed  rest. 

It  was  supposed  by  many,  that  the  strange  manifesta- 
tions seen  during  this  and  other  great  excitements,  in  the 
history  of  the  Christian  church,  were  the  effects  of  divine 
power,  and  to  be  considered  in  the  light  of  miracles,  attest- 
ing the  truth  of  religion,  as  those  on  the  day  of  Pentecost. 
Others  again  considered  them  as  caused  by  Satanic  influ- 
ence, and  intended  by  the  evil  one  to  discredit  religion  gen- 
erally, and  camp-meetings  and  revivals  in  particular,  which 
he  feared  would  convert  the  world,  and  destroy  his  power. 
They  are,  perhaps, ^to  be  considered  as  neither,  but  only 
the  effects  of  natural  causes. 

The  imagination  is  one  of  the  mental  faculties,  which 
operates  directly  on  ihe  nervous  system,  by  means  of  the 
images  it  creates.  And  the  sensations  produced,  partake 
of  the  nature  or  character  of  the  images  presented  If 
they  are  pleasing  and  attractive,  the  sensation."?  are  pleas- 
ing and  attractive  also,  just  as  the  contemplation  of  a 
beautiful  picture  will  draw  forth  expressions  of  delight  and 
satisf^xction. 

So  when  the  preacher  presents  to  view  a  picture,  or  de- 
scription of  the  joys  of  heaven,  the  glories  of  the  upper 
world,  and  an  eternal  deliverance  from  all  the  sufferings 
and  sorrows  of  this  mortal  state,  it  is  so  delightful  that  in 
a  cont'reQ-ation  where  these  manifestations  are  allowed  and 


24G  ^      ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

encouraged,  some  will  clap  their  hands  and  shout  on  ac- 
count of  the  beautiful  vision.  These  feelinQ;s  are  not 
caused  by  any  supernatural  power,  any  more  than  the  de- 
light caused  by  the  contemplation  of  a  beautiful  landscape, 
but  are  alike  in  every  particular. 

On  the  other  hand,  should  the  preacher,  instead  of  hold- 
ing up  to  view  a  picture  of  loveliness  and  beauty,  present 
one  of  dread  and  horror,  the  sensation  corresponding  to 
the  character  of  the  picture  might  produce  groans  and 
trembling,  instead  of  shouts  of  joyous  gladness.  All  this 
would  be  simply  the  effect  of  a  frightful  impression  on  the 
nervous  system,  nothing  more.  When  we  remember  that 
the  shock  produced  on  the  human  frame  by  fear  is  often 
so  great  as  to  cause  death,  we  should  not  wonder  that  men 
and  women  become  convulsed,  and  foil,  or  exhibit  some 
other  strange  bodily  affections  under  it.  Nay,  sometimes 
a  flood  of  joy  produces  the  same  effect.  As  when  an  aged 
father  recently  met  his  long-absent  sjn  in  Philadelphia, 
and  expired  with  happiness  too  great  to  be  borne. 

But  it  will  be  asked,  why  were  lookers-on,  who  were  not 
moved  by  joy  or  fear,  often  affected  in  the  same  way  ? 

To  this  it  may  be  answered,  that  this  was  the  effect  of 
sympathy,  something  which  no  one  seems  to  understand, 
but  with  which  all  are  familiar.  It  may  be  defined  as  an 
involuntary  inclination  to  do  or  act  as  we  see  others  doing 
or  acting.  You  will  see,  for  instance,  a  man  at  work,  and 
a  little  child  looking  on,  going  through  the  same  motions 
with  its  little  hands,  and  even  exhibiting  the  same  contor- 
tions of  face.  A  number  of  persons  may  be  sitting  to- 
gether ;  one  gapes  or  yawns,  and  every  one  goes  through 
the  same  performance.  Your  friend  is  in  deep  distress, — 
the  tears  flowing  down  his  cheeks, — and  your  eyes  will 


I 


CUMBERLAND    PRESBYTERIANS.  247 

immediately  fill,  likewise.  Why,  then,  may  not  one  who 
gazes  at  others  jerking,  fall  to  jerking  too  ?  This  appears 
strange  because  it  is  uncommon. 

Perhaps  many  good  Christians  felt  these  strange  agita- 
)ns,  and  honestly  believed  them  to  be  the  effects  of  di- 
vine power.  But  this  does  not  show  that  they  were  such, 
or  had  anything  supernatural  about  them.  These  singular 
affections  were  not  by  any  means  peculiar  to  the  times  of 
which  we  are  now  speaking,  since  history  informs  us  that 
in  times  of  great  excitement  they  have  appeared  in  other 
ages  and  in  other  countries. 

In  the  days  of  Whitefield  and  the  "Wesleys  they  were 
common  and  remarkable  for  their  violence.  These  great 
and  good  men  believed  they  were  from  God,  and  accord- 
ingly encouraged  them.  But  wherever  they  have  been 
discouraged,  they  have  prevailed  very  slightly,  or  not  at 
all — an  important  fact. 

Although  nothing  ever  rejoiced  the  heart  of  your  grand- 
father more  than  a  revival  of  religion,  he  was  in  no  sense 
of  the  word  a  modern  revivalist.  No  one  ever  saw  him 
descend  from  the  pulpit,  pass  through  the  crowd,  shaking 
their  hands,  and  leading  them  to  the  "  mourners'  bench  " 
or  "anxious  seat." 

Under  proclamation  of  the  great  and  solemn  truths  of 
the  gospel,  to  see  a  deep  interest  in  religion  pervade  a 
community,  to  see  men  troubled  on  account  of  their  sins, 
repenting  of  their  wickedness  and  folly,  reforming  their 
lives,  turning  to  God,  confessing  him  before  men,  going 
down  into  the  baptismal  waters,  and  crowding  into  the 
churches,  full  of  deep  religious  emotions,  but  free  from  all 
noise  and  confusion, — such  was  his  ideal  of  a  religious  re- 
vival ! 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

LORENZO    DOW. 

About  the  year  1814,  after  the  excitement  growing  out 
of  the  great  revival  had  nearly  subsided,  the  famous  Lo- 
renzo Dow  made  his  appearance  among  us.  He  preached 
at  Clarksville,  Palmyra,  Hopkinsville,  Russellville,  and 
other  places  in  our  vicinity.  Many  went  to  hear  the 
strange  old  man,  but  many  more  to  see  hira  of  whom  so 
many  anecdotes  were  related. 

I  was  nearly  crazy  to  see  and  hear  him,  but  for  some 
reason,  now  forgotten,  never  had  the  pleasure. 

He  was,  without  doubt,  partially  deranged.  But  like 
many  others  in  that  unhappy  condition  was  an  exceedingly 
sharp  observer  of  men,  and  quick  to  detect  their  characters, 
motives,  and  weaknesses.  Among  other  anecdotes  related 
of  him,  I  remember  the  following. 

One  of  his  brother  preachers,  at  the  close  of  every  dis- 
course, would  give  a  description  of  the  day  of  judgment, 
when  at  the  sound  of  Gabriel's  trumpet,  the  Son  of  man 
would  appear  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  with  all  his  holy 
angels  to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead,  uniformly  adding 
a  description  of  the  alarm  and  terror  that  would  overwhelm 
the  impenitent  sinner,  but  saying  what  a  glorious  day  it 
would  be  for  the  righteous,  of  whom  he  humbly  hoped  he 
was  one.  Lorenzo  becoming  disgusted  with  his  repetition, 
resolved  to  put  a  stoj)  to  it,  and  engaged  a  boy  famous  for 
248 


LORENZO   DOW.  249 

his  skill  in  blowing  the  trumpet,  to  climb  a  tree  near  the 
church  thiit  night,  and  when  the  preacher  got  to  the  day 
of  jadginent  and  Gabriel's  trumpet,  and  how  his  heart 
would  rejoice  that  the  day  of  deliverance  had  come,  to 
blow  a  loud  terrible  bUist.  All  worked  well,  the  preacher 
gave  an  animated  discourse  and  at  its  close,  as  usual, 
brought  in  Gabriel  and  his  trumpet.  At  this  the  boy  from 
his  trumpet  uttered  such  an  awful  peal,  that  every  one's 
heart  died  within  him,  and  leaving  hat,  saddle-bags,  and 
umbrella,  the  preacher  cleared  the  pulpit  at  one  leap, 
rushed  to  the  door  and  took  to  the  woods,  followed  by  his 
terror-stricken  hearers.  Henceforth  the  preacher  gave 
Gabriel  and  his  trumpet  a  wide  berth. 

In  the  beginning  of  his  ministry,  it  was  said,  he  made  a 
vow  never  to  accept  anything  for  his  preaching  more  than 
just  enough  to  enable  him  to  continue  his  labors.  When 
this  was  known,  many  would  ostentatiously  offer  him  costly 
presents  knowing  they  would  not  be  accepted.  He  deter- 
mined to  put  a  stop  to  this.  Accordingly  when  a  pompous 
young  fellow  in  a  large  crowd,  offered  him  a  costly  gold 
watch  and  begged  his  acceptance,  he  thanked  him  for  his 
kindness  and  deliberately  put  the  watch  in  his  pocket,  and 
went  his  way.  The  young  fellow  was  nearly  broken- 
hearted, but  there  was  no  help  for  it.  Presents  were  not 
offered  after  that,  for  the  sake  of  showing  off. 

One  of  the  most  characteristic  anecdotes  of  him  is  the 
following :  While  travelling  on  foot,  one  day  he  saw  a 
man  sitting  by  the  way  side,  disconsolate  at  the  loss  of  a 
fine  axe,  which  was  his  chief  dependance  for  a  living,  but 
which  had  been  stolen.  Dow  told  him  to  cheer  up,  and 
come  with  him  to  the  preaching,  the  thief  would  probably 
be  there  and  he  could  get  the  axe. 


250  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

The  wood-cliopper  was  greatl}^  surprised  to  see  him  get 
up  to  preach.  "  Tlioii  shalt  not  steal  "  was  the  text,  and 
keeping  his  sharp  eyes  on  the  crowd,  he  made  stealing  ap- 
pear to  the  last  degree  odious  and  detestable.  During  his 
discourse  he  noticed  that  one  person  winced  and  appeared 
very  uncomfortable,  whenever  he  gave  thieves  a  hard  blow. 
Before  dismissing  his  audience,  he  related  the  circum- 
stance of  the  stolen  axe,  adding  that  the  thief  was  sitting 
just  before  him,  and  he  intended  to  hit  him  with  his  hymn 
book,  and  raised  his  arm.  The  thief  dodged,  and  on  being 
questioned,  told  the  wood-chopper  where  to  find  his  axe. 

Many  such  anecdotes  caused  numbers  to  believe  he  was 
no  ordinary  mortal,  but  could  divine  the  thoughts  of  men. 

This  singular  but  interesting  old  man  was  born,  as  we 
learn  from  his  journal,  in  Tolland  County,  Connecticut, 
1777.  He  was  a  very  delicate  child,  and  during  most  of 
his  life  suffered  severely  from  asthma,  often  for  months 
being  unable  to  lie  down  and  sleep  from  difficulty  of 
breathing.  This  affection  had  been  caused  by  drinking 
too  much  cold  water  when  overheated.  His  parents  were 
tender  of  their  children,  and  endeavored  to  educate  them 
both  in  religion  and  common  learning. 

His  early  religious  experience  bears  a  striking  resem- 
blance to  those  of  the  olden  times.  There  was  first  an 
awakening,  a  deep  repentance  and  sorrow  for  sin,  troubled 
dreams  and  gloomy  apprehensions  :  then,  in  many  cases, 
some  text  of  Scripture  containing  a  blessed  promise,  heard 
as  if  distinctly  spoken  to  them,  a  thrill  of  joy  unspeakable, 
followed  by  a  hope,  bright  and  clear,  that  their  sins  were 
forgiven,  the  Holy  Spirit  bearing  witness  with  their  spirits 
that  they  were  born  of  God.  Dow  gives  the  following  ac- 
count of  his  awakenino; : 


LORENZO   DOW.  251 

"When  past  the  age  of  thirteen  years,  and  about  tlie  time  John  Wes- 
ley dieJ,  it  pleased  Goil  to  awaken  my  mind  bj'  a  dream  of  the  nitjht, 
which  was  this :  An  old  man  came  to  me  at  mid  day  with  a  staff  in  his 
liaml,  and  said,  '  Do  you  ever  pray  ? '  I  told  him  '  No.'  Said  he, 
'  You  must,'  and  then  went  away,  but  soon  returned,  and  the  conversa- 
tion was  repeated." 

Soon  after  this  drecam  lio  began  to  be  distressed  on  ac- 
•  Hint  of  his  sins,  and  it  is  sad  to  hear  him  tell  the  story 
uf  his  troubles,  heightened  evidently  by  the  deranged  state 
of  his  mind.  He  prayed  and  fasted,  as  his  delicate  frame 
could  endure,  slept  but  little  for  fear  he  might  die  before 
he  awoke  and  find  himself  in  the  lake  that  burns  with  fire 
and  brimstone.  At  length,  at  the  words,  "  Son,  thy  sins 
which  are  many  are  forgiven  thee, — thy  faith  hath  i^aved 
thee,"  the  burden  of  sin  and  guilt  fell  from  his  shoulders, 
and  he  could  rejoice  in  the  hope  of  a  blessed  immortality 
lieyond  the  grave.  From  reading  his  journal,  one  will 
perceive  he  considered  himself  under  the  immediate  guid- 
ance of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  when  the  Spirit  pointed  out 
the  way,  it  was  his  duty  to  obey  implicitly,  notwithstand- 
ing all  dangers  and  difiiculties.  This  will  account  for 
most  of  the  wildness  and  extravagance  of  his  conduct. 

There  was  a  singular  flimily  likeness  in  most  of  the  con- 
versions we  hear  of  in  old  times.  This  was  considered 
very  desirable,  since  it  indicated  that  all  were  led  in  the 
same  way,  by  the  same  Spirit.  When  bordei'ing  on  the 
supernatural  and  terrible,  they  were  listened  to  with 
great  attention. 

After  his  conversion  he  attached  himself  to  the  Meth- 
odist connection,  and  it  was  impressed  on  his  mind  that  he 
ought  to  preach  the  gospel ;  for  being  alone  in  a  solitary 
place,  kneeling  in  prayer,  these  words  came  to  him  :  "  Go 


252  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

yc  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  crea- 
ture." At  first  he  thought  this  must  be  a  temptation  of 
Satan ;  but,  finding  that  the  more  he  resisted,  the  more 
unhappy  he  felt, — clasping  his  hands  together,  he  said : 
"  Lord,  I  submit  to  go  and  preach  thy  gospel ;  only  grant 
that  my  peaceful  hours  return,  and  open  the  door  for  mo." 

It  was  usual  among  the  Methodists  of  that  day,  when 
an  individual  of  their  church  expressed  a  desire  to  preach, 
to  permit  him  to  go  around  with  a  circuit  preacher,  and  if 
he  showed  some  aptitude  for  praying  in  public  and  ex- 
hortation, to  give  him  permission  to  do  so.  And  if  he 
appeared  to  improve  and  to  promise  well,  then  to  allow 
him  to  preach  from  a  text  and  to  become  a  circuit-rider. 
From  a  beginning  like  this,  have  arisen  many  of  the  able 
men  of  that  flourishing  denomination. 

Lorenzo's  preacher,  after  giving  him  a  trial,  advised 
him  to  give  up  all  idea  of  preaching  and  go  home.  He 
was  then  only  about  eighteen  years  old.  Another  preacher, 
after  a  trial,  ordered  him  to  go  home.  This  nearly  broke 
hi''  heart,  "Two  or  three  handkerchiefs  were  soon  wet 
with  tears,  for  the  worth  of  immortal  souls  lay  heavy  on 
his  conscience." 

But,  notwithstanding  so  many  discouragements,  and  so 
many  "  buffetings  of  Satan,"  sometimes  on  foot,  sometimes 
on  horseback,  sometimes  almost  without  money  or  clothes, 
he  continued  trying  to  preach.  So  strong  was  the  im- 
pression that  it  was  his  duty.  At  length  he  began  to 
show  unmistakable  signs  of  no  ordinary  ability.  And, 
though  his  addresses  were  often  below  mediocrity,  they 
were  frequently  remarkable  for  their  power  and  effect. 
From  reading  his  journal,  one  would  infer  that  this  was 
characteristic  of  his  preaching  all  his  life. 


LORENZO    DOW.  253 

Hoping  they  might  now  make  him  useful,  his  church 
tried  hard  to  make  him  do  steady  work,  but  in  vain.  He 
would,  if  put  on  a  circuit,  leave  it,  if  he  had  an  impression 
that  he  ought  to  go  somewhere  else,  and  would  soon  be 
heard  from,  perhaps,  a  hundred  miles  away.  Finding  it 
impossible  to  make  him  submit  to  the  discipline  of  the 
church,  they  finally  ceased  to  consider  him  as  belonging 
to  it  or  to  their  jurisdiction  at  all. 

He  now  flew  from  place  to  place  and  from  state  to  state. 
In  1799  he  crossed  the  Atlantic,  and  went  to  Ireland  to 
preach  to  the  people  there,  and  became  really  a  Cosmopo- 
lite, as  he  now  called  himself.  While  there,  he  preached 
in  the  prisons,  in  the  barracks  to  the  soldiers — in  the 
towns  and  cities — sometimes  in  churches,  then  in  the 
streets  and  in  private  houses,  and  at  length  became  known 
as  Crazy  Dow,  or  the  Crazy  Preacher. 

On  going  to  a  strange  place,  he  would  put  up  a  number 
of  little  hand  bills,  which  he  carried  about  with  him;  soon 
a  large  crowd  would  be  collected,  and  he  would  preach 
them  a  sermon  none  would  ever  forget.  He  had  a  plan  of 
bringing  the  people  into  a  "  covenant."  When  he  per- 
ceived they  had  been  much  moved  by  his  discourse,  he 
would  invite  them  to  come  forward  and  give  him ;  their 
names,  and  if  they  would  agree  to  join  him,  promised  to 
pray  for  them  at  a  certain  hour  every  day  for  a  month  or 
more,  wherever  he  might  be.  When  all  their  names  were 
written  down,  he  would  call  God  to  witness  the  covenant, 
fold  up  the  paper,  put  it  in  his  pocket,  bid  them  an  affec- 
tionate farewell,  and  perhaps  never  be  seen  by  them  again. 
By  this  simple  device  many  were  led  to  pray,  and  to 
commence  a  better  life,  having  been  drawn  into  this  prom- 
ise when  their  hearts  were  tender  and  easily  influenced. 
12 


25-i  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

In  controversy,  it  was  said  few  could  equal  him;  his 
knowledge  of  the  Scripture  was  so  great  and  his  logic  so 
powerful.  Unconditional  election  and  reprobation,  he  was 
much  opposed  to,  and  used  to  tell  the  high  Calvinists  that 
their  doctrine  simply  amounted  to  this:  "You  can  and 
you  can't;  You  shall  and  you  sha'n't;  You  will  and  you 
won't;  You're  damned  if  you  do,  and  you're  damned  if 
you  don't."  Atheism,  deism,  and  infidelity,  generally 
fared  badly  when  they  encountered  him.  It  appeared 
strange  to  see  one  so  uncouth,  in  appearance,  argue  his 
points  with  so  much  force  and  clearness. 

Many  liberal  donations  made  by  those  who  pitied  his 
hard  life  and  destitution,  were  not  accepted.  Some,  though, 
in  taking  leave  of  him  in  a  crowd,  would  put  money  in  his 
hand,  and  disappear  before  he  could  return  it ;  or  would 
drop  money  in  his  coat  pockets.  On  pouring  out  some 
crackers  put  up  for  him,  he  found  a  sum  of  money  among 
them.  His  wants  were  sometimes  supplied  so  opportunely 
and  unexpectedly,  that  he  could  but  think  himself  in  the 
care  of  a  special  providence. 

Arriving  one  day  at  a  ferry  without  money,  or  anything 
to  pawn,  to  pay  his  fare,  he  saw  something  shining  in  the 
sand,  and  on  picking  it  up,  found  it  to  be  a  York  shilling, 
just  the  sum  needed.  At  another  time  when  he  needed 
money  for  the  same  purpose,  two  strangers  put  each  a  half 
dollar  in  his  hand.  So  many  incidents  of  the  same  kind, 
constantly  occurring,  gave  him  confidence,  and  he  would 
venture  on  long  and  distant  journeys,  believing,  to  use  his 
own  expression,  that  "  the  door  would  be  opened."  The 
speed  with  which  he  travelled  seems  almost  incredible.  In 
one  day  he  rode  twenty-five  miles,  preached  five  times,  and 
addressed  three  "  classes." 


LORENZO   DOW.  255 

He  says,  in  order  to  do  this,  "  I  had  to  be  in  earnest." 

"  I  entered  a  meeting  house  on  one  occasion,  having  on 
an  old  borrowed  great-coat,  and  with  two  hats  on  my  head. 
Some  were  alarmed,  some  blushed,  some  laughed,  and  all 
were  excited." 

•''  On  the  17th  of  June,  I  rode  thirty-five  miles,  and 
preached  five  times.  On  the  18th,  I  rode  fifty-five  miles, 
preached  five  times,  and  spoke  to  two  classes.  On  the 
19th,  I  preached  six  times,  and  rode  twenty-five  miles." 

In  two  months  he  rode  1,500  miles  and  preached  180 
sermons. 

He  would  often  send  on  his  appointments  to  preach, 
more  than  twelve  months  before,  and  nothing  that  could 
be  overcome  by  human  exertion,  would  prevent  his  being 
in  the  place  punctual  to  the  time.  Mountains  and  rivers 
storms  of  hail  and  sleet,  swollen  streams,  cold,  and  hunger 
were  unheeded  by  him. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  Lorenzo  Dow,  just  like  other 
men,  thought  he  must  have  a  wife ;  and  hearing  of  a 
young  woman  who  had  said :  if  she  ever  married  at  all 
she  would  rather  marry  a  travelling  preacher  than  anyone 
else,  he  called  on  her  and  inquired  if  this  were  so  ?  She 
said,  it  was.  He  then  asked  her,  if  she  thought  she 
could  accept  of  such  a  looking  object  as  himself  for  a  hus- 
band? 

At  this  she  became  frightened  and  left  the  room.  Soon 
after  this  he  called  on  her  again  and  told  her  he  was  going 
South,  and  would  not  return  under  eighteen  months.  In 
the  meantime,  if  she  saw  no  one  she  liked  better  than  him, 
and  he  saw  no  one  he  liked  better  than  her,  on  his  return, 
if  she  were  willing,  they  would  be  married.  But  he  gave 
her  distinctly  to  understand  that  she  must  never,  never 


256  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

interfere  with  him  in  regard  to  preaching.  For  if  she  did, 
he  would  pray  to  God  to  take  her  away,  and  he  believed 
he  would  do  it ! 

At  the  appointed  time  he  returned,  on  the  third  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1804,  he  and  Peggy,  poor  thing,  were  married. 
She  seems  to  have  been  a  sweet-tempered,  gentle,  uncom- 
plaining creature,  content  to  ramble  over  the  world  with 
him — sometimes  walking  by  his  side,  sometimes  riding  on 
horseback,  or  in  a  rude  vehicle.  Occasionally  he  would 
deposit  her  in  some  cabin  by  the  wayside,  to  remain  until 
called  for. 

In  England,  where  she  followed  him  after  her  marriage, 
she  gave  birth  to  a  little  daughter,  who  died  soon  after- 
wards. She  being  prostrated  by  a  long  and  dangerous 
illness,  it  was  taken  aw^ay  to  be  cared  for  until  her  recov- 
ery. She  saw  it  once  again  before  it  sickened  and  died, 
while  she  was  in  a  state  of  utter  prostration. 

Just  before  leaving  England  to  return  to  America,  in 
her  artless  but  interesting  journal  she  writes : 

"  I  stayed  in  the  town  of  Warrington  a  few  weeks,  and  frequently 
visited  the  little  chapel  where  my  sweet  little  infant's  remains  were  de- 
posited ;  and  often  felt  a  pleasure  of  the  sweetest  kind  in  contemplating 
that  my  child  had  escaped  all  the  dangers  and  vanities  of  this  uncertain 
world,  for  the  never-fading  glories  of  Paradise,  where  I  hoped,  when  life 
should  end,  I  should  meet  her,  to  part  no  more,'' 

Dow's  strange  life  and  restless  wanderings  at  last  ended. 
He  died  in  Georgetown,  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  in 
1834,  in  the  57th  year  of  his  age.  On  the  front  leaves  of 
his  journal  are  two  quaint  pictures  of  himself  and  Peggy, 
Above  them  is  written  :  "  The  morning  of  life  is  gone — 
the  evening  shades  appear."  And  below :  "  We  are 
journeying  to  the  land  from  whence  there  is  no  return." 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

CLARKSVILLE   AND    ITS   RECOLLECTIONS. 

Clarksville,  our  country  town,  was  a  place  in  whose 
spiritual  and  temporal  welfare  your  grandfather  ever  felt 
a  deep  interest,  on  account  of  the  many  kind  friends  he 
made  there,  and  because,  too,  he  first  carried  there  Bap- 
tist influence,  and  planted  a  Baptist  church.  It  therefore 
deserves  a  special  notice  in  our  narrative. 

Like  most  of  the  towns  and  cities  of  the  South,  its 
growth  has  been  slow.  It  is  a  point  of  considerable  im- 
portance, however,  on  account  of  its  valuable  agricultural 
productions,  among  which  is  its  fine  tobacco,  known  in 
almost  every  part  of  the  world.  The  first  notice  we  have 
of  its  locality,  is  as  far  back  as  the  Spring  of  1780,  about 
twenty-seven  years  before  your  grandfather  came  to  the 
country.  At  that  time  the  celebrated  Col.  John  Donelson, 
of  Virginia,  with  his  toil-worn  voyagers,  from  the  distant 
Holston,  having  descended  the  Tennessee  and  ascended  the 
Ohio,  and  Cumberland  Rivers,  on  their  dangerous  and  dif- 
ficult voyage  to  the  spot,  where  Nashville  now  stands, 
"reached  the  mouth  of  a  small  river  emptying  into  the 
Cumberland  on  its  north  side,  which,  Moses  Renfroe,  one 
of  his  companions,  called  Red  River,  up  which  he  intended 
to  settle."    See  Putnam's  Annals  of  Middle  Tennessee. 

There  is  no  event  in  the  history  of  Tennessee,  of  deeper 
or  more  thrilling  interest,  than  this  voyage  of  Col.  Donel- 

257 


258  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

son  ar)d  his  party.  He  was  the  father  of  the  beautiful 
Rachel  Donelson,  wife  of  our  heroic  Jackson,  more  beloved 
and  prized  by  him,  than  all  the  honors  heaped  upon  him, 
by  his  admiring  countrymen.  Few,  perhaps,  without  drop- 
ping a  tear  have  read  the  account  of  her  father's  tragic 
death — killed  almost  in  sidit  of  home,  returninsr  from  a 
distant  journey. 

It  would  seem  the  hills,  above  and  below  the  mouth  of 
this  little  river,  were  attractive,  even  then,  for  by  the  mid- 
dle of  the  next  year,  the  number  of  settlers  amounted  to 
more  than  twenty,  whose  sad  fate  has  not  been  forgotten. 
Learning  that  a  band  of  savages  were  approaching  to  de- 
stroy their  settlement,  they  gathered  up  a  few  of  their  effects 
and  started  in  haste,  hoping  to  reach  the  stations  near 
Nashville  before  they  were  overtaken.  But  at  night,  while 
encamped  on  the  banks  of  a  little  stream  that  flows  into 
what  is  called  Sycamore  Creek,  in  Cheatham  County,  they 
were  attacked  by  the  Indians,  and  all — men,  women,  and 
children — murdered,  except  one  poor  woman,  who  made 
her  escape,  and  reached  a  station  next  day,  twenty  miles 
distant,  with  her  clothing  all  torn  oflf  by  the  brush  and 
canebrakes  through  which  she  passed  in  her  lonely  flight- 
The  little  stream,  the  scene  of  this  tragedy,  is  still  known 
as  Battle  Creek,  though  in  truth  there  was  no  battle,  but 
a  cruel  massacre. 

Here,  too.  Col.  Valentine  Sevier,  brother  of  General 
John  Sevier,  one  of  the  heroes  of  King's  Mountain,  who 
attempted  a  settlement  at  the  mouth  of  Red  River,  lost 
three  of  his  sons.  They  had  started  to  Nashville  in  a 
pirogue,  were  fired  upon  by  a  band  of  Indians  concealed 
in  the  cane  on  the  banks  of  the  Cumberland,  a  short  dis- 
tance above  where  Clarksville  now  stands,  and  all  three 


CLA-RKSVILLE   AND   ITS   RECOLLECTIONS.  259 

were  killed  and  scalped — a  terrible  blow  to  their  aged 
parents,  who,  in  these  perilous  times,  so  much  needed  the 
strong  arms  and  brave  hearts  of  their  gallant  sons. 
The  struggle  for  this  locality,  and  the  beautiful  country 
stretching  to  the  west,  north  and  cast  of  it,  was  long  and 
persistent,  but  the  white  man  finally  prevailed  here,  as 
elsewhere,  and  the  Indian  disappeared  forever. 

Thomas  Reasons  and  wife,  and  a  Miss  Betsy  Roberts,  in 
the  year  179G,  were  the  last  victims  of  savage  cruelty  near 
Clarksville.  For  some  slight  cause,  the  little  party  which 
was  to  be  at  Mr.  Reasons'  that  night  did  not  take  place,  or 
many  others  would  have  been  killed.  This,  if  the  dates 
are  correct,  took  place  about  eleven  years  before  your 
grandfiither  came  to  the  country.  Seldom,  we  presume, 
do  the  citizens  of  Clarksville  and  New  Providence  call  to 
mind  the  perils  of  those  who  won  these  places  from  the 
savages. 

In  the  spring  of  1808  I  first  saw  this  place.  Your  grand- 
father had  occasion  to  go  there  to  make  some  little  pur- 
chases, and  took  me  with  him.  We  crossed  Red  River  in 
a  ferry-boat  some  distance  below  the  present  bridge.  Mr. 
William  Farrier,  who  put  us  across,  was  one  of  your  grand- 
fiither's  highly-esteemed  brethren,  and  owned  the  ferry  and 
farm  adjoining. 

If  I  remember  rightly,  the  whole  distance  from  the 
ferry  to  the  public  square  was  a  forest  of  tall  and  beauti- 
ful trees,  at  least  two  miles  in  extent.  This  was  princi- 
pally owned  by  a  son  of  the  Emerald  Isle,  Hon.  James  B. 
Reynolds,  called  Count  R,eynolds,  at  one  time  a  member  of 
Congress,  who  named  his  fine  property,  Grattan's  Grove, 
in  honor  of  his  illustrious  countryman.  But  its  glory  has 
long  since  departed,  and  the  ground  where  the  statelv 


260  ELDER    REUBEN  ROSS. 

forest  once  stood  is  now  almost  covered  by  the  shanties  of 
"  American  citizens  of  African  descent." 

Clarksville  was  then  quite  a  small  place  ;  there  was  the 
Public  Square,  called  the  "  Public  Lot,"  by  the  first 
County  Court  held  in  1791,  and  which  it  ordered  to  be 
"  cleared  up,"  like  any  other  piece  of  woodland,  "  and  put 
in  order."  Around  this  were  a  few  unpretending  houses, 
thrown  in  the  shade  by  the  new  brick  court-house  stand- 
ing in  the  middle  of  the  square.  I  think  there  were  as 
many  houses  down  near  the  river  as  on  the  hills — in  all 
very  few. 

The  next  time  I  saw  Clarksville,  which  was  after  our 
return  from  Stewart  County  to  the  Barrens,  it  was  very 
much  improved.  The  dry  goods  stores  of  Messrs.  McClure 
&  Elder  and  of  John  H.  Paxton  were  doing  a  good  busi- 
ness. There  were  lawyers,  doctors,  tailors,  blacksmiths, 
etc.  The  flatboats  were  being  loaded  with  corn,  pork, 
flour,  whisky,  and  tobacco,  at  various  points  at  or  near  the 
town,  to  descend  to  New  Orleans.  Our  town  had  taken 
quite  a  start  in  the  world. 

The  occasion  of  my  visit  to  town  was  to  see  a  lion, 
which  some  one  had  brought  there  for  exhibition.  I  had 
read  of  lions  in  the  Bible,  and  formed  most  extravagant 
ideas  of  their  size,  power,  and  ferocity,  and  was  nearly 
crazy  to  see  one.  I  wanted  especially  to  hear  one  roar, 
shake  the  panes  of  glass  out  of  the  windows,  and  terrify 
not  only  man  but  all  the  beasts  of  the  field.  The  price 
for  seeing  him  was  a  silver  dollar.  But  alas,  how  great] 
was  my  disappointment.  Instead  of  the  terrific  monster  Ii 
expected,  with  fire  flashing  from  his  eyes,  lashing  his  sides 
with  his  tail,  and  bending  the  iron  bars  of  his  cage  in  hi3 
efibrts  to  break  them,  I  saw  what  seemed  to  be  little  more 


CLARKSVILLE   AND   ITS   RECOLLECTIONS.  2G1 

than  a  large  brindled  dog,  quiet  and  respectful  in  behavior, 
and  little  "like  the  lion  roused  by  the  swelling  of  Jordan," 
mentioned  in  the  Bible. 

Before  the  building  of  the  brick  court-house,  Clarks- 
ville  had  no  place  set  apart  for  public  worship.  After  this 
was  built,  any  of  the  religious  denominations  used  it  that 
chose,  and  from  what  I  have  heard,  the  old  preachers  often 
had  some  hard  eases  to  deal  with  there. 

It  was  here,  according  to  tradition,  that  parson  N.,  a 
good  old  Methodist  brother  had  his  feelings  so  much  out- 
raged. While  describing  the  lower  regions  in  the  most 
dismal  colors,  and  exhorting  his  hearers  in  the  most  earn- 
est and  affectionate  manner  to  repent  of  their  sins,  and  re- 
form their  lives,  in  order  to  escape  it,  a  half  drunken  fellow 
arose  and  said  :  "  Parson,  I  don't  think  there  is  any  such 
place  as  that,  or  some  body  would  have  heard  of  it  before." 
This  sounded  so  droll  and  unexpected,  that  the  audience 
could  not  help  laughing.  The  parson  soon  brought  his 
remarks  to  a  close,  and  as  he  passed  the  door  was  observed 
to  move  his  feet  slightly,  as  if  to  shake  the  dust  from  them, 
and  never  preached  there  again,  but  left  them  to  be  con- 
vinced, when  too  late,  that  there  is  such  a  place,  or  ought 
to  be. 

In  former  times,  the  court  house  and  public  square  used 
to  be  lively  places  on  public  days.  Nearly  all  the  men  and 
boys  from  the  country  would  be  there.  It  was  a  time  to 
settle  accounts,  swap  horses,  drink  whisky,  listen  to  law- 
yers and  candidates,  hear  the  news,  and  see  something  of 
the  world.  My  greatest  delight  was  to  hear  the  lawyers 
trying  their  cases ;  They  would  sometimes,  as  in  my  sim- 
plicity I  thought,  become  "  fighting  mad,"  and  I  would 
expect  to  see  a  fight,  so  soon  as  court  was  adjourned  for 

12* 


2C2  ELDER  REUBEN   ROSS. 

dinner.  But  instead  of  this,  tliey  would  walk  off"  arm  in 
arm  to  the  tavern,  like  brothers,  much  to  my  amazement, 
after  saying  so  many  hard  things  of  each  other.  They 
were  to  me  a  great  mystery. 

The  horse  swapping  was  very  amusing.  Sometimes  they 
would  swap  even — horse,  saddle,  bridle,  and  martingale, — 
again  boot  would  be  given,  and  generally  one  would  have 
to  treat.  When  the  fever  for  swapping  was  high,  the  same 
horse  would  perhaps  have  half  a  dozen  owners  in  the  course 
of  the  day. 

The  drinking  was  managed  rather  differently  from  what 
it  is  now.  So  soon  as  one  came  to  town,  he  dismounted, 
hitched  his  horse  securely, —  there  were  no  livery  stables 
then,  or  until  long  afterwards — went  into  a  tavern, —  no 
saloons  then  in  Clarksville,  at  least  none  bearing  that  name 
— and  bought  a  half  pint,  pint,  or  quart  of  whiskey  or 
brandy.  Each  one  received  in  a  bottle  the  quantity  called 
for,  from  the  barkeeper,  took  a  drink,  and  set  his  bottle  on 
a  shelf  provided  for  that  purpose,  and  then  went  out  to  at- 
tend to  his  business,  if  he  happened  to  have  any.  And 
whenever  in  the  course  of  the  day  he  felt  his  thirst  coming 
on,  he  would  go  in  and  help  himself,  sometimes  accom- 
panied by  a  friend.  When  his  bottle  gave  out,  he  would 
have  it  filled  again,  if  he  thought  it  necessary  to  his  comfort. 
A  long  row  of  these  little  bottles,  side  by  side,  on  their 
shelves,  looked  very  showy.  Any  one  living  near  town 
would  see  men,  after  one  of  these  gala-days,  riding  home 
in  a  variety  of  strange  ways,  sometimes  leaning  forward,! 
or  on  one  side  or  the  other.  Some  would  camp  oiit  all' 
night,  and  not  get  in  until  next  day,  often  minus  hat  or] 
saddlebags.  One  old  gentleman  whom  I  knew,  before] 
leaving  home  would  carefully  divest  himself  of  everythin| 


CLARKSVILLE   AND    ITS   RECOLLECTIONS.  263 

that  could  be  lost,  and  his  family  could  always  tell  by  this 
what  wtis  on  his  mind. 

For  many  years,  most  of  the  change,  or  fractional  cur- 
rency used  in  Clarksville,  was  made  by  cutting  silver  coins 
into  smaller  pieces.  Before  this,  mankind  understood  that 
no  one  thing  could  have  more  than  four  quarters,  but  now 
found  they  were  mistaken,  for  skillful  manipulations  de- 
monstrated that,  by  the  aid  of  a  mallet  or  cold  chisel,  a 
Spanish  dollar  often  contained  five  or  six  quarters.  This 
discovery  was  quite  profitable.  Tlie  people  at  first  grum- 
bled at  this,  but,  as  the  silver  was  very  pure  and  the 
change  convenient,  by  common  consent  it  passed  freely 
among  them. 

Sometimes  the  angles  of  this  fractional  currency  were 
so  sharp  that  one  had  to  be  careful  when  handling  it.  It 
was  not  safe  to  thrust  one's  hand  incautiously  into  one's 
pocket. 

Judge  Humphreys  used  to  hold  the  courts  in  Clarks- 
ville at  the  time  of  which  we  are  now  speaking.  He  was 
a  mild  and  pleasant  gentleman,  of  whom  I  stood  in  great 
awe,  on  account  of  the  deference  and  respect  every  one 
paid  him,  and  the  vast  amount  of  wisdom  and  learning  I 
supposed  him  to  possess.  He  was,  I  think,  a  Carolinian  by 
birth,  and  held  in  such  estimation  as  to  give  his  name  to 
one  of  the  counties  of  his  adopted  state.  Your  grandfather 
used  to  speak  of  him  after  his  death,  as  one  of  his  particu- 
lar friends  of  the  lower  part  of  the  county,  where  he  often 
preached  and  married  the  young  people. 

The  most  distinguished  lawyer  in  Clarksville  was  Wil- 
liam L.  Brown,  a  small,  delicate-looking  man,  with  fine^ 
black  eyes,  dark  complexion,  and  low,  massive  forehead. 
As  a  speaker  he  was  bold,  confident,  and  vehement.  Young 


264  ELDER   REUBEN  ROSS. 

as  I  was,  I  could  perceive  his  superiority  to  the  other 
lawyers,  and  his  greater  influence  with  the  court  and 
juries. 

While  sittini^  one  day  in  the  court-house,  watching  the 
proceedings,  I  thought  I  observed  him  look  towards  me 
several  times.  At  length  he  rose  up  from  where  he  was 
sitting  within  the  bar,  passed  out  of  it,  took  a  few  turns  in 
the  room,  and  then  coming  where  I  was,  leant  against  the 
wall  near  me,  and  entered  into  conversation;  in  the  course 
of  which  he  asked  me  my  name.  When  I  told  him  who  I 
was,  he  said  :  "  Is  that  so  ?  "  seemed  to  be  pleased,  and  told 
me  he  and  my  father  were  great  friends.  He  next  asked 
how  old  I  was  ?  If  I  was  going  to  school  ?  If  I  thought 
I  should  like  to  be  a  lawyer  when  I  grew  up  to  be  a  man  ? 

After  chatting  with  me  a  short  time  in  a  very  pleasant 
manner,  he  said  that  he  was  going  up  to  his  office,  and  if 
I  would  go  with  him  he  would  give  me  some  books.  On 
entering  the  office,  he  went  to  the  library  and  brought  out 
a  Latin  dictionary,  well  bound  and  covered  with  buck- 
skin ;  a  fine  Delphine  Virgil,  and  Wettenhall's  Greek 
Grammar,  and  made  me  a  present  of  them,  saymg  the  dic- 
tionary was  the  one  he  used  when  he  studied  Latin.  He 
advised  me,  in  conclusion,  by  all  means,  to  make  myself 
well  acquainted  with  the  Latin  and  Greek,  adding  he 
would  talk  with  me  again  some  day  about  being  a  lawyer. 
I  hardly  need  say  I  was  very  much  pleased  with  my 
books,  and  at  being  thus  noticed  by  the  great  lawyer. 

After  this  he  removed  to  Nashville,  where  he  became 
famous  on  account  of  his  legal  abilities,  and  was  appointed 
by  the  Federal  Government  one  of  the  Commissioners  to 
settle  the  long-vexed  question  of  boundaiy  between  Ken- 
tucky and  Tennessee. 


CLARKSVILLE   AND    ITS  RECOLLECTIONS.  265 

Your  grandfather  saw  him  at  Nashville  several  times 
afterwards,  and  said  he  always  made  many  kind  inquiries 
about  me.  He  died  comparatively  young.  Had  he  lived, 
he  would  have  ranked  high  among  the  great  men  of  the 
West.  On  account  of  his  knowledge  of  the  law  and  his 
high  moral  character,  General  Jackson  had  intended  to 
place  him  on  the  bench  of  the  Supreme  Court,  which  place 
was  filled  after  his  death  by  Judge  Catron  of  Tennessee. 
Judge  Brown  was  twice  married,  and  his  children  by  both 
marriages  died  when  young.  On  the  banks  of  the  Cum- 
berland, a  stream  which  he  loved  from  his  boyhood,  is  his 
residence,  called  "Ross  Cliflf;"  and  there,  in  a  cluster  of 
beautiful  cedars,  I  saw  the  handsome  tomb  which  marks 
his  last  resting-place. 

Among  the  truest  friends  of  your  grandfather,  in 
Clarksville,  not  belonging  to  any  church,  was  the  Hon. 
Cave  Johnson.  His  appearance,  in  the  prime  of  life,  was 
truly  noble  and  striking — tall,  handsome,  and  of  a  com- 
manding presence — a  fine  specimen  of  the  young  Tennes- 
seeans  who  fought  under  Jackson  in  the  Indian  wars.  He 
had,  as  a  lawyer,  politician,  and  sagacious  man  of  the 
world,  few  equals ;  he  rose  to  high  distinction,  was  four- 
teen years  a  member  of  Congress,  and  four  years  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Cabinet  during  President  Polk's  administration. 
In  his  palmiest  days  he  never  forgot  an  old  friend,  or 
failed  to  meet  him  with  a  pleasant  smile  and  kindly  greet- 
ing. Even  when  a  young  man,  he  manifested  great  esteem 
and  regard  for  your  grandfether,  called  on  him  whenever 
he  was  in  town, — and,  when  he  had  business  in  court,  as 
guardian,  always  attended  to  it  for  him  free  of  charge. 
Many  years  later,  as  you  remember,  when  it  was  desired 
by  his   friends  to  get  your  brother  Reuben  appointed  a 


266 


ELDER   REUBEN  ROSS. 


cadet  in  the  Military  Academy  at  West  Point,  he  took  the 
business  in  hand  and  arranged  it  all  in  the  most  satisfac- 
tory manner. 

There  is  an  incident  of  his  life  both  pleasing  and  ro- 
mantic, which  throws  light  upon  his  character.  While] 
living  in  the  family  of  Judge  Humphreys  studying  law, 
which  he  commenced  full  of  hope,  never  doubting  of  suc- 
cess, he  became  acquainted  with  Miss  Elizabeth  Dortch, 
then  in  all  the  freshness  of  her  early  beauty,  fell  in  love, 
addressed  her,  and  was  rejected.  At  this  he  was  deeply 
mortified  and  resolved  never  to  marry.  But,  instead  of 
moping  about,  as  many  love-sick  swains  do  on  such  occa- 
sions, and  neglecting  his  studies,  he  applied  himself  with 
renewed  energy,  obtained  license  to  practice  law,  rose  in 
his  profession,  was  appointed  States  Attorney  by  the  legis- 
lature of  Tennessee,  without  ever  having  applied  for  it,  or 
knowing  when  it  was  done, — was  elected  to  Congress 
again  and  again  against  the  most  determined  opposition. 
Time  rolls  on.  Miss  Dortch  marries,  and  becomes  a  widow 
with  three  children.  His  old  love  revives ;  he  again  pro- 
poses, is  accepted,  and  they  were  married  by  your  grand- 
father in  1838,  and  spent  many  happy  years  together,  in- 
cluding those  during  which  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Cabinet,  amid  the  gayeties  and  pleasures  of  Washington 
society. 

He,  too,  has  passed  away,  with  nearly  all  the  men  of 
that  shining  period  ;  but  had  the  happinesss   to  live  in 
what  will,  perhaps,  be  remembered  hereafter  as  the  goldeiiJ 
age  of  his  country's  history. 

One,  at  first,  will  be  apt  to  think  it  strange  that  yourj 
grandfather,  who  never  turned  aside  to  seek  the  friendship! 
of  any  man,  but  always  accepted  it  frankly,  when  oflered,] 


CLAEKSVILLE    AND    ITS   RECOLLECTIONS.  2G7 

should  Lave  had  so  many  true  and  lasting  friends  among 
those  who  never  manifestied  any  very  decided  interest  in 
the  great  subject  to  which  he  devoted  his  life.  But  it  is 
probable,  that  all  men  have  an  ideal  of  a  good  man, 
and  when  they  meet  one  who  corresponds  to  this  ideal  in- 
stinctively love  and  esteem  him. 

I  am  not  able  to  say  when  your  grandfather  first 
preached  in  Clarksville ;  whether  he  did  so  by  request  of 
the  citizens,  or  sent  an  appointment  of  his  own  accord. 

His  audience  was  at  first  very  small,  one  account  made 
it  only  two  ladies — Mrs.  McClure  and  Mrs.  Elder — and 
one  gentleman,  who  took  their  seats  in  the  court  house, 
though  a  good  many  stood  near  the  door  outside.  He 
sang  a  hymn,  prayed,  and  delivered  a  short  address,  and 
at  the  close  told  his  little  audience,  that  there  was  a  good 
promise  on  record,  when  two  or  three  were  gathered  to- 
gether in  his  name.  After  this  his  audience  steadily  in- 
creased, became  large  and  attentive,  and  an  impression  was 
made  in  the  place,  favorable  to  religion  and  Baptist  senti- 
ments. 

By  reference  to  the  journals  of  the  old  Spring  Creek 
Church,  of  July  1831,  an  order  was  passed  for  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Clarksville  Church.  Isham  Watkins,  Jesse 
Ely,  William  Killebrew,  Joshua  Brown,  and  others  being 
petitioners  for  the  same.  Previous  to  this  time,  it  had 
been  an  arm,  or  branch,  of  Spring  Creek  Church.  Your 
grandfather  acted  as  one  of  the  presbyters  on  that  occa- 
sion, and  was  its  first  pastor. 

It  is  now  (1870)  a  large  and  flourishing  church,  under 
the  pastoral  care  of  Elder  A.  D.  Sears,  D.  D.,  with  a  new 
and  handsome  house  of  worship. 

To  the  building  of  this  church,  S.  A.  Sawyer,  formerly 


268  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

a  merchant  of  Clarksville,  hut  now  of  Brooklyn,  New 
York,  contributed  most  liberally,  showing  that  though 
far  away,  his  heart  is  still  with  his  brethren  of  former 
times. 

The  religious  sentiment  has  been  well  developed  in 
Clarksville.  And  in  this  respect  it  will  compare  favorably 
with  any  of  the  towns  and  cities  of  the  South  and  West. 
In  it,  the  Baptists  have  one  church ;  the  Methodists,  one ; 
the  old  Presbyterians,  one;  the  Cumberland  Presbyterians, 
one ;  the  Episcopalians,  two ;  the  Keformers  or  Christian 
Church,  one ;  and  the  Catholics,  one.  At  all  these  large 
and  attentive  congregations  meet  for  worship. 

The  population  of  the  city  of  Clarksville  is  now  about 
seven  thousand.  For  morality,  intelligence,  and  refinement, 
it  will  compare  favorably  with  any  town  or  city  of  the 
"West.  The  South-western  University,  under  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  a  flourishing  female 
college  under  that  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  are 
here  located. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

FAMILY   AFFLICTIONS. 

Of  all  the  years  of  your  grandfather's  pilgrimage,  1815 
was  the  most  sorrowful.  In  less  than  one  month,  during 
this  year,  he  lost  four  of  his  little  children — Thomas,  Mar- 
tin, Eeuben,  and  Maria,  the  last  of  whom  was  about  nine 
years  old ;  the  others,  younger.  Two  of  these  were  dead 
in  the  house  at  the  same  time.  At  this  great  affliction, 
our  fomily  was  struck  with  awe  and  astonishment,  and 
our  kind  neis-hhors  almost  as  much  so  as  ourselves. 

It  will  not  be  easy  for  those  who  have  never  experienced 
a  like  affliction  to  imagine  the  feelings  of  a  family  that 
has  lost  so  many  of  its  inmates  in  so  short  a  time.  Your 
grandmother  was  almost  heart-broken,  and  for  days  to- 
gether sat  with  her  head  covered,  and  mourned  the  loss  of 
her  loved  ones.  Your  grandfather  was  silent  as  men  will 
sometimes  be  who,  in  deep  distress,  are  afraid  to  speak,  lest 
in  doing  so  they  should  lose  control  of  themselves.  We 
children  who  were  left  moved  noiselessly  about  the  house 
on  which  a  dark  shadow  seemed  to  rest.  It  no  longer 
appeared  the  same  home;  too  many  little  voices  were 
hushed  forever  which  were  wont  to  make  it  so  cheerful 
and  pleasant. 

Your  grandfather  selected  a  place  not  far  from  the 
house  for  aburying-ground,  and  made  their  little  graves. 
The  wild  cherry  tree  was  always  a  favorite  with  him,  and 

269 


270  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

be  went  into  the  woods  and  collected  a  number  of  these 
which  he  planted  around  the  graves,  so  as  to  form  a  little 
grove.  They  grew  very  thriftily,  and  their  spreading 
branches,  and  green  leaves  soon  made  a  pretty  shade.  It 
was  a  pleasant  spot  when  I  last  saw  it,  long  years  ago ; 
here  your  aunt  Polly  was  buried  the  next  year,  and  your 
uncle  Garrard,  wdio  died  of  erysipelas,  October  5th,  1823, 
in  the  sixteenth  year  of  his  age.  You  will  no  doubt  ask 
the  cause  of  this  unusual  mortality.  An  unusual  quantity 
of  rain  had  fallen  in  the  early  part  of  the  year,  and  all 
the  low  places  in  the  barrens  were  covered  with  water, 
and  much  vegetation  was  either  killed  or  in  a  dying  condi- 
tion ;  so  that  when  the  hot  suns  of  August  and  September 
came,  a  malaria  was  produced,  that  brought  on  ague,  chills, 
and  bilious  fever.  Large  families  were  often  so  prostrated, 
that  there  was  not  one  left  able  to  hand  another  a  cup  of 
water.  Neighbors  less  unfortunate  would  render  all  the  as- 
sistance they  could  to  each  other,  by  going  themselves  or 
sending  their  servants  to  wait  upon  them.  The  little 
children  in  our  family  were  reduced  to  mere  shadows,  but 
might  have  recovered  had  not  the  whooping-cough 
supervened.  Then  nothing  could  save  them.  No  doubt- 
many  are  still  living  besides  myself  who  remember  but  tooj 
well  those  unhappy  seasons.  During  the  next  winter,  your] 
grandfather  went  down  to  Woodville,  a  little  town  in  Mis- 
sissippi, near  the  Louisiana  line. 

He  had  some  years  before,  formed  the  acquaintance  of  i 
Col.  Charles  Stewart,  the  first  proprietor  of  what  is  known 
as  the  Peacher's  Mill  property,  situated  in  Montgomery 
County,  Tennessee.  This,  together  with  the  large  body 
of  valuable  land  connected  with  it,  was  a  fine  estate,  but 
being  full  of  enterprise,  and  fond  of  making  money  he  sold 


FAMILY   AFFLICTIONS.  271 

it  to  your  grandfather  Barker,  and  removed  south  in  1813, 
beheving,  that  cotton  planting  there  would  prove  more 
profitable  than  any  business  he  could  follow  in  this  coun- 
try. His  brother,  Duncan  Stewart,  had  settled  near  Wood- 
ville  the  year  before. 

Although  making  no  pretensions  to  religion  himself, 
Colonel  Stewart  had  formed  a  great  friendship  for  your 
grandfather,  and  persuaded  him  to  leave  this  country,  as 
he  had  done,  and  go  to  Southern  Mississippi,  and  settle 
near  him,  offering  him  at  the  same  time  consicierable  in- 
ducements to  do  so ;  telling  him  of  the  mild  and  pleasant 
climate,  the  ease  with  which  he  could  make  a  support  for 
his  family,  and  hinting  at  the  good  he  might  do  there  by 
preaching  to  a  people  almost  entirely  destitute  of  religious 
instruction. 

Fearing  that  the  place  on  which  he  now  lived  was  un- 
healthy, and  having  but  little  hope  of  getting  a  supply  of 
water  by  sinking  a  well,  he  concluded  to  go  and  look  at 
the  country  first,  and  then  decide  whether,  all  things  con- 
sidered, it  was  likely  to  be  an  advantageous  move  for  him- 
self and  family. 

Major  John  Nevill,  being  about  to  take  a  boat-load  of 
produce  down  to  New  Orleans,  invited  him  to  take  passage 
on  his  boat  to  some  point  on  the  river  near  where  Colonel 
Stewart  lived.  This  invitation  was  thankfully  accepted, 
and  he  accordingly  went  and  was  absent  from  home  about 
three  months.  His  voyage  was  tedious,  and  attended 
with  much  danger,  on  account  of  fogs,  sawyers,  and  float- 
ing ice. 

At  length,  however,  he  landed,  bade  adieu  to  his  com- 
panions, and  soon  arrived  at  the  hospitable  mansion  of  his 
friend,  who  received  him  with  great  cordiality  and  treated 


272  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

him  with  the  kindness  of  a  brother.  Here  he  remained 
some  time  looking  at  the  country,  which  was  already 
clothed  in  the  beauty  of  early  spring.  After  seeing  a  good 
deal  of  it,  he  decided  not  to  move  his  family  there.  The 
manners  and  customs  of  the  people  seemed  strange  to  him, 
and  their  thoughts  so  full  of  cotton,  sugar,  and  money- 
making,  that  he  did  not  think  the  voice  of  the  preacher 
was  likely  to  be  heard  by  them  to  much  advantage. 

I  may  mention  here  that  Colonel  Stewart  had  two  twin- 
Vjrothers — Duncan,  already  mentioned,  who  removed  to 
Mississippi  in  1812,  and  James,  who  remained  in  Tennes- 
see till  1818.  The  latter  at  all  times  felt  that  singular 
attachment  for  his  brother  which  is  characteristic  of  the 
Scottish  race,  and  especially  desired  to  be  buried  by  his 
side  when  he  died  ;  and  as  age  and  infirmity  increased, 
this  desire  increased  also.  Finally,  he  determined  to  leave 
his  home  (a  few  miles  from  Clarksville,  and  long  known  as 
the  Stewart  Place),  and  descend  the  Mississippi  to  where 
his  brother  lived.  He  had  a  substantial  coffin  made,  and 
what  the  people  persisted  in  calling  his  funeral  sermon 
preached.  After  which,  placing  as  much  of  his  effects  on 
board  a  boat  as  he  thought  he  should  need,  together  with 
the  coffin,  he  finally  reached  his  destination  ;  and  after  his 
death,  according  to  his  wish,  was  buried  by  the  side  of  his 
brother. 

It  was  long  before  the  community  ceased  talking  of  this 
strange  transaction.  But,  no  doubt,  the  coffin  was  pro- 
vided in  case  he  should  die  on  the  journey,  and  the  preach- 
ing was  intended  to  bring  his  friends  and  neighbors  to- 
gether that  he  might  give  them  a  hospitable  entertainment 
before  bidding  them  adieu.  An  old  lady,  with  whom  you 
are  well  acquainted,  told  me  lately  that  she  was  at  what 


FAMILY   AFFLICTIONS.  273 

was  called  the  funeral,  and  thinks  your  grandfather 
preached  on  the  occasion. 

These  Stewarts  were  said  to  have  been  of  the  royal  fem- 
ily  of  Scotland,  and  from  a  description  given  me  by  your 
grandfather  of  Mary  Stewart,  a  daughter  of  James  Stewart, 
she  must  have  been  little  less  beautiful  and  lovely  than  the 
renowned  Scottish  Queen  herself  whose  name  she  bore. 

While  considering  in  what  way  he  should  come  home, 
your  grandfather  had  the  good  fortune  to  meet  with  an  old 
Kentucky  friend,  Dr.  Walker,  who  was  about  to  return  by 
land,  through  the  Indian  nation.  He  immediately  pro- 
cured a  horse,  and  taking  leave  of  his  kind  friends  there, 
whom  he  now  saw  for  the  last  time,  turned  his  face  home- 
ward. He  followed  what  was  then  called  the  Old  Natchez 
Trace,  through  the  country  occupied  by  the  Chickasaw 
Indians.  This  was  the  road  usually  travelled  by  boatmen 
and  traders  on  their  way  home,  by  land,  from  New 
Orleans. 

This  journey  home  proved  to  be  one  of  great  entertain- 
ment to  him ;  and  was  a  subject  of  conversation  long  after- 
wards. On  it  he  saw  the  Indians  engaged  in  one  of  their 
famous  Ball  Plays,  in  which  they  displayed  wonderful  agil- 
ity ;  he  also  heard  them  uttering  their  lamentations  for  the 
dead. 

For  a  certain  length  of  time  it  was  their  custom  he  said 
to  go  out  twice  a  day,  after  they  had  lost  one  of  their  fam- 
ily, and  raise  a  wail  or  lamentation  that  could  be  heard  to 
a  great  distance,  and  fell  sadly  on  the  ears  of  those  passing 
by.  When  the  mourners  were  too  few  to  produce  an  im- 
posing effect  they  would  hire  others  to  assist  them.  He 
also  first  heard,  while  travelling  among  the  Choctaw  In- 
dians on  his  way  home,  the  following  interesting  legend 


274 


ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 


connected  with  their  earl}'-  settlement  in  the  country  they 
then  occupied. 

"  Their  tribe  came  originally  from  the  distant  regions  of  the  West,  and 
when  they  commenced  their  journey  had  two  guides — a  long  straight  pole 
and  a  large  dog,  In  crossing  the  Mississippi  their  faithful  dog  was 
drowned  and  henceforth  they  had  to  depend  on  their  pole  alone.  Every 
evening  this  was  set  up  in  their  encampment  perpendicularly.  In  the 
morning  they  observed  carefully  which  way  it  leaned  and  journeyed  in 
that  direction  This  they  continued  to  do  till  they  came  to  the  bank  of 
a  beautiful  river.  Here  on  setting  up  their  pole  they  saw  with  the  pleas- 
ure only  known  to  those  who  are  weary  from  long  travelling,  that  it  re- 
mained perpendicular  for  several  days  ;  hence  they  named  the  river 
Alabama,  which  in  their  soft  and  musical  language  means ;  '  Here  we 
rest.' 

"  But  their  wanderings  were  not  yet  ended,  for  again  they  perceived 
their  pole  leaning  in  a  certain  direction  and  again  they  travelled  on 
until  they  reached  tlie  place  known  as  the  Chickasaw  Old  Towns,  where 
when  the  pole  was  set,  it  stood  erect  permanently  a.nd  here  the  tribe  re- 
mained ever  afterwards." 

On  this  old  trace  which  your  grandfather  travelled  stands 
the  lonely  Monument  of  Governor  Merriwether  Lewis,  a 
striking  and  startling  object  when  first  seen  by  those  who 
still  occasionally  pass  by  this  wild  sequestered  spot.    After 
his  exploration  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains,  in  1803,  to 
the  distant  Oregon,  then  a  "  terra  incognita,"  he  was  ap- 
pointed Governor  of  Louisiana,  by  President  Jefferson,  and 
being  on  his  way  from  New  Orleans,  in  a  violent  attack  ofJ 
hypochondria,  to  which  he  was  liable,  he  put  an  end  to  his] 
life,  as  is  generally  supposed,  though  many  thought  hej 
came  to  his  end  by  other  hands  than  his  own.     It  would] 
be  hard   to  find  a  more  beautiful  tribute  to  the  memory  of] 
any  one  than  that  penned  by  Mr.  Jefferson,  for  his  youngj 
and  gifted  friend,  as  it  may  be  seen  in  the  JEncyelopedic 
Americana. 


FAMILY    AFFLICTIONS.  275 

After  liis  return  from  Mississippi,  your  grandfjither 
devoted  himself  more  than  usual  to  preaching.  His  long 
absence  from  his  people  seems  to  have  endeared  them  to 
him  more  than  ever, -and  they  too  were  happy  to  learn  he 
had  abandoned  all  thought  of  leavino;  them. 

In  1816,  the  Bethel  Church  was  constituted.  This 
church  and  their  pastor,  Elder  William  Tandy,  were 
greatly  beloved  by  him,  and  he  often  preached  for  them 
in  those  early  times.  I  well  remember  the  little  log  meet- 
ing-house, near  the  salubrious  springs,  where  the  })eople 
used  to  meet  before  the  present  church  was  built ;  and  the 
pleasant  rides  with  your  grandfather  along  the  narrow 
path,  bordered  with  flowers,  through  the  beautiful  prairie 
we  crossed  on  our  way  to  it. 

In  the  month  of  August  of  this  year  your  aunt  Polly 
died,  and  our  house  again  became  a  house  of  mourning,  I 
still  retain  a  vivid  recollection  of  her  last  illness  and 
death.  She  had  been  ailing  for  several  days,  and  the 
family  physician,  Dr.  Gilmer,  had  been  called  in  to  see 
her.  After  prescribing  some  simple  remedies  for  the  irri- 
tation of  her  stomach,  of  which  she  complained,  he  left  us. 
Soon  after  this  she  became  very  pale,  said  she  thought  she 
was  going  to  die,  and  requested  her  mother  to  make  her  a 
pallet  on  the  floor,  such  as  was  often  made  for  children  to 
sleep  on  in  warm  weather.  This  was  done,  and  she  was 
laid  upon  it.  The  paleness  increasing,  we  became  alarmed 
and  all  gathered  round  her,  some  chafing  her  hands,  some 
her  feet,  and  some  fanning  her.  She  breathed  only  a  few 
times  after  this,  and  then  her  gentle  spirit  passed  away. 
At  first  we  could  not  realize  that  she  was  gone.  It 
seemed  incredible.  But  it  was  even  so.  Her  soft,  blue 
eyes  were  closed  forever.     Thus  died,  in  her  early  bloom, 


276  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

one  of  the  little  twins,  the  first  born  of  the  family.     She 
had  been  baptized  just  one  month  before  her  death. 

The  other  twin,  your  aunt  Nancy  Morrison,  lived  on 
ami.d  the  usual  vicissitudes  of  huma*  life,  until  February 
23d,  1862.  The  circumstances  attending  her  death  were 
likewise  such  as  not  to  be  soon  forgotten.  Her  health 
had  not  been  good  for  many  years  in  consequence  of  a 
f^ill  from  a  buggy,  which  greatly  impaired  her  nervous 
system  and  confined  her  much  of  her  time  to  her  bed. 
Soon  after  the  first  great  battle  of  Manassas,  your  brother 
Eeuben,  while  walking  over  the  battle-ground,  picked  up 
a  bomb-shell,  which  he  broua;lit  home  as  a  curiositv.  This 
had  been  carried  about  from  place  to  place,  until  finally  it 
reached  your  uncle  Morrison's,  as  you  no  doubt  remember. 
There  it  remained  until  a  few  days  before  the  battle  of 
Fort  Donelson,  when,  while  your  cousin  Eugene,  her  only 
son,  and  some  others,  were  endeavoring  to  extract  the 
powder  it  contained,  it  exploded,  a  fragment  of  the  shell 
striking  him  and  inflicting  a  dangerous  w^ound,  from  the 
effects  of  which  his  recovery  was  long  doubtful. 

This,  in  her  weak  state  of  health,  produced  a  shock 
from  which  she  had  not  recovered  when  the  news  of  the 
fall  of  Fort  Donelson  was  received,  in  which  the  fate  of  so 
many  dear  to  her  was  involved.  In  her  feeble  condition 
she  was  unable  to  bear  up  under  it,  and  soon  afterwards 
breathed  her  last.  Thus,  in  darkness  and  in  sorrow,  the 
days  of  her  pilgrimage  ended,  which,  in  Heaven's  myste- 
rious providence,  has  been  the  lot  of  so  many  whose  hearts 
like  hers  were  full  of  Christian  charity  and  devotion  to  the 
happiness  of  others.  She  sleeps  by  her  father  and  mother 
at  the  Old  Place,  where  many  others  whom  she  loved  also' 
repose,  and  nothing  could  be  more  appropriate  than  the 


FAMILY   AFFLICTIONS.  277 

portion  of  the  inscription  on  her  tomb,  "  Blessed  are  the 
pure  in  heart,  tor  they  shall  see  God."  The  sisters  were 
baptized  at  the  same  time,  July,  1816,  and  were  members 
of  the  Little  West  Fork  Church.  They  were  born  Sept. 
12th,  1799,  and  were  two  years  and  a  few  days  older  than 
myself. 

When  little  children,  it  was  difficult  to  distinguish  one 
from  the  other.  I  think,  though,  that  a  close  observer 
could  perceive  that  your  aunt  Nannie's  face  w^as  a  little  lc«s 
oval  than  her  sisters.  She  had  also  a  mark  on  her  shoul- 
der, the  exact  resemblance  of  a  strawberry,  which  always 
betrayed  her,  if  we  could  catch  and  hold  her  long  enough 
to  find  it.  They  would  often  try  to  pass  themselves  off 
one  for  the  other,  were  mightily  pleased  when  they  suc- 
ceeded in  doing  so,  and  were  so  inseparable  that  when  you 
saw  one  you  involuntarily  looked  for  the  other.  We  were 
playmates  and  confidants,  and  they  were  so  gentle  and  lov- 
ing in  their  disposition  as  to  permit  me  to  domineer  over 
them  a  good  deal ;  and,  when  I  got  into  disgrace  for  mis- 
conduct— which  they  seldom  did — I  received  a  world  of 
sympathy  from  them.  It  is  pleasant,  even  now,  to  think 
of  the  happy  years  we  passed  together,  and  how  com- 
pletely our  lives  were  identified  in  every  respect. 


13 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


ELDER   ROSS    EXPLAINS   HIS  VIEWS. 


We  will  now  pass  on  to  the  year  1817,  which  may  be 
regarded  as  an  epoch  in  the  life  of  your  grandfather,  since 
during  this  year  he  gave  utterance  to  those  views  which 
culminated  in  his  separation  from  his  hyper-calvinistic 
brethren,  and  in  the  organization  of  the  Bethel  Baptist 
Association, 

At  the  commencement  of  his  ministerial  labors,  as  was 
to  have  been  expected,  he  adopted  the  rigid  views  of  his 
family  and  of  the  church  to  which  they  belonged, — in 
which  faith  so  many  great  and  good  men  have  lived  and 
died.  It  would,  perhaps,  not  be  extravagant  to  say  that 
many  of  the  brightest  intellects  from  the  earliest  ages  of 
the  church  down  to  his  own  time  had  contended  for  these 
views  as  for  "  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints." 

They  believed  in  particular  and  unconditional  election 
and  reprobation,  that  Christ  died  for  the  elect  only,  and 
that  not  one  of  the  elect  would  ever  be  lost^  or  one  of  the 
non-elect  ever  be  saved.  That  the  Almighty,  who  knows 
the  end  from  the  beginning,  looking  down,  as  it  were,  upon 
the  generations  of  men  yet  unborn,  without  the  least  re- 
gard  to  character  or  conduct  had  elected  or  selected  one 
here  and  another  there  to  be  saved  and  had  passed  all 
others  by  as  vessels  of  wrath  fitted  to  destruction. 

These  views,  as  he  thought,  represent  the  heavenly 
278 


ELDER   ROSS   EXPLAINS   HIS   VIEWS.  279 

Father  as  a  parent  who  had  lavished  all  his  care  and  ten- 
derness on  a  part  of  his  children  only.  These  he  had  pro- 
vided with  food,  raiment,  instruction,  and  all  things  neces- 
sary to  their  comfort  and  happiness.  The  rest  he  had  left 
to  struggle  on  as  best  they  might  for  a  time  against  hun- 
ger, cold,  and  neglect,  and  finally  to  perish,  not  because 
they  were  less  deserving  than  their  brethren,  but  simply 
because  it  was  his  vriU  and  pleasure  to  pass  them  by. 

Early  in  his  ministry  his  mind  became  perplexed  and 
troubled  on  this  subject.  He  could  not  understand  how 
this  could  be  when  the  sacred  writings  declare  that  his 
tender  mercies  are  over  all  his  works ;  that  "  he  is  no  re- 
specter of  persons,  but  in  every  nation  he  that  fears  him 
and  works  righteousness  is  accepted  of  him."  But  such 
was  his  reverence  for  the  wisdom,  knowledge,  and  piety  of 
those  who  had  gone  before  him  and  held  these  views,  that 
he  would  not  permit  his  thoughts  to  dwell  upon  them  when 
he  could  avoid  doing  so. 

When  he  came  to  the  West  he  found  his  brethren  here 
of  the  same  belief,  and  tenacious  of  it  to  the  last  degree. 
They  watched  over  it  with  the  utmost  solicitude,  and  over 
every  member  of  their  communion  in  regard  to  it,  and  es- 
pecially over  their  preachers.  If  one  of  them  was  suspected 
of  being  unsound  in  the  faith  or  Arminian  in  his  tenden- 
cies, they  turned  away  from  him,  and  his  usefulness  among 
them  was  at  an  end. 

Could  this  doctrine  be  true  ?  he  often  thought.  Docs 
the  Bible  teach  that  our  happiness  after  death  depends  on 
unconditional  election  ?  That  if  elected,  we  shall  be  saved 
simply  because  we  are  elected,  and  if  lost,  it  will  be  because 
we  are  not  elected.*     He  doubts  this  and  is  determined  to 

*  The  advocates  of  election  would  be  slow  to  admit  that  this  is  a  cor- 


280  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

bring  all  the  faculties  of  his  mind  to  the  investigation  of 
this  subject,  one  of  the  most  important  in  his  estimation  in 
the  whole  range  of  Christian  theology. 

On  one  side  of  this  great  argument  stands  John  Calvin, 
of  Geneva,  with  his  hard,  cold,  merciless,  but  powerful' 
logic.  On  the  other,  James  Arminius,  of  Holland,  no  less 
able,  with  his  warm,  generous,  and  merciful  interpretation 
of  the  sacred  writings. 

Mighty  men,  so  to  speak,  have  fought  under  these  lead- 
ers respectively,  and  for  a  long  time  victory  seemed  to  be 
perched  on  the  banners  of  the  former ;  but,  in  these  latter 
days,  the  signs  are,  that  the  views  of  Arminius  will 
triumph  in  the  end.* 

In  calling  to  mind  the  disadvantages  under  which  your 
grandfather  labored,  one  can  but  regret  the  strait  he  was 
in  ;  and  nothing  shows  more  clearly  what  manner  of  man 
he  was  than  the  patience  and  courage  manifested  by  him. 
He  was  almost  literally  without  books.  He  did  not  own 
a  Concordance  even — a  work  so  indispensable  to  the  Bible 
student.  With  the  Bible  alone  he  went  to  the  work,  and, 
beginning  at  the  beginning,  he  passed  through  it  again 
and  again,  comparing  chapter  with  chapter  and  verse  with 
verse,  often  carrying  it  to  the  iield  with  him  when  at  work 
there,  and  opening  its  pages  when  occasionally  resting  from 

rect  view  of  the  doctrine,  They  certainly  do  not  believe  that  election 
saves  independently  of  a  compliance  with  the  requirements  of  the  gospel, 
but  that  election  leads  to  sucli  compliance,  and  that  God  in  choosing  ends 
chooses  means  to  accomplish  them.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  not  scrip- 
tural to  represent  sinners  as  lost  and  punished,  because  they  are  not 
elected ;  but  they  are  lost  and  punished  for  their  sins,  and  for  no  other 
reason.  J.  M.  P. 

*  The  biographer  here  expresses  his  ojiinion,  which  he  had  a  perfect 
right  to  do  ;  but  from  this  opinion  many,  no  doubt,  will  dissent. 

J.  M.  r. 


ELDER   ROSS   EXPLAINS   HIS   VIEWS.  281 

his  labors.  It  is  not  strange,  therefore,  that  his  knowledge 
in  after  years  was  so  extensive  and  accurate. 

Gill's  "  Body  of  Divinity"  was  a  book  held  in  high  es- 
timation by  Baptists  at  that  time.  He  greatly  desired  to 
get  it,  hoping  it  might  throw  much  light  on  the  subject  of 
his  studies,  and  he  knew  where  it  could  be  had  for  six  dol- 
lars. But  six  dollars  were  something  to  him  in  those  days. 
I  remember  to  have  heard  him  and  your  grandmother  often 
speak  of  purchasing  this  book.  Sometimes  they  almost 
made  up  their  minds  to  buy  it,  and  then  again  declined 
doing  so.  He  was  always  afraid  of  debt,  and  used  to  say, 
that,  next  to  a  bad  conscience,  debt  ought  to  be  avoided. 

The  book,  though,  was  at  last  bought,  and  for  days  we 
saw  but  little  of  him,  so  much  was  he  absorbed  in  its 
perusal.  Some  time  after  this  he  procured  another  book, 
"  The  Gospel  Worthy  of  All  Acceptation,"  by  Andrew 
Fuller,  of  England, — a  work  which  greatly  interested 
him.* 

After  a  while  he  bought  Butterworth's  "  Concordance." 
It  was  a  thin  folio  volume,  and  lies  by  me  at  the  present 
writing.  When  afterwards  he  procured  another,  more 
convenient  for  use  on  account  of  its  shape,  he  made  me  a 

*  Andrew  Fuller,  in  his  day,  found  the  state  of  things  among  the 
Baptists  in  England  quite  similar  to  that  referred  to  on  the  theater  of 
Elder  Ross's  labors.  It  was  to  them  a  troublesome  question  whether 
the  gospel  should  be  preached  to  sinners  at  all.  Dr.  Gill  hesitated  about 
the  matter,  as  we  learn  from  Dr.  Cramp's  "  History  of  Baptists."  Fuller 
differed  from  Gill,  and  believed  in  an  "  objective  fulness"  in  the  provi- 
sions of  the  atonement  of  Christ,  sufficient  for  the  salvation  of  all  men. 
He  therefore  insisted  that  the  gospel  is  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  and  is 
to  be  preached  to  men,  not  as  elect  or  non-elect,  bnt  as  sinners  under  the 
wrath  of  God  and  in  perishing  need  of  salvation.  Eternity  alone  will 
reveal  all  the  good  accomplished,  by  God's  blessing,  on  Fuller's  "  Gospel 
Worthy  of  All  Acceptation."  J.  M.  P. 


282  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

present  of  this.  On  one  of  the  blank  leaves  is  written  : 
"  James  Ross*  Book,  a  present  from  bis  father,  Reuben 
Ross,  Sept.  22,  1818.  Price  $4."  The  above  is  in  his 
own  handwriting,  and  the  most  perfect  specimen  of  it  I 
have.  I  need  hardly  say  I  value  it  much.  This  book  he 
found  to  be  a  treasure  indeed,  saving  him  much  time  and 
labor  in  finding  and  comparing  various  texts  and  portions 
of  the  sacred  writings. 

He  would  often  speak  of  the  delicacy  of  his  position 
during  these  years.  He  was  all  the  time  engaged  in 
preaching,  and  it  was  of  the  utmost  importance  to  express 
himself  so  that  it  might  not  transpire  prematurely  to  what 
his  investigations  were  tending.  For  ecclesiastical  history 
shows  that  as  much  wisdom  and  sound  discretion  is  neces- 
sary in  religious  movements  as  in  those  of  governments 
and  armies,  and  that,  for  want  of  these,  many  great  and 
good  men  have  failed  in  effecting  much  needed  reforma- 
tions. 

Fortunately  for  him,  the  Baptists  in  this  country  at  that 
time  were  divided  in  sentiment  in  regard  to  preaching  to 
sinners  or  calling  them  to  repentance ;  one  class  knew 
that  if  they  were  reprobates,  it  would  all  be  of  no  avail. 
Others  thought  it  would  do  no  harm  to  scatter  the  seed 
broadcast,  since  none  but  the  elect  germs  would,  after  all, 
vegetate  and  bear  fruit.  He  availed  himself  of  this  state 
of  things  to  the  full  extent,  and  urged  all  alike  to  repent 
and  believe  the  gospel. 

As  he  proceeded  in  his  investigations,  he  saw  that  the 
Bible,  from  beginning  to  end,  was  instinct  with  the  doc- 
trine that  all  our  blessings,  both  spiritual  and  temporal, 
are  more  or  less  conditional.  To  our  first  parents  it  was 
said  :  "  For  the  day  thou  eatest  thereof  thou  shalt  surely 


ELDER   ROSS   EXPLAINS  HIS   VIEWS.  283 

die."     They,  however,  disregarded  the  condition,  and  thus 
"  Brought  death  into  the  world  and  all  our  woe." 

To  fallen  Cain  it  was  said  :  "  If  thou  doest  well,  shalt 
not  thou  be  accepted  ?  and  if  thou  doest  not  well,  sin  lieth 
at  the  door."  He  did  not  choose  to  dq  well,  murdered  his 
brother,  and  was  driven  forth  a  fugitive  and  vagabond, 
with  the  mark  of  Heaven's  displeasure  branded  upon  him. 

Here,  then,  in  the  early  dawn  of  twilight,  as  it  were,  of 
the  revelation  made  to  man,  he  is  informed  that  good  and 
evil,  blessing  and  cursing,  life  and  death,  are  set  before  his 
eyes,  and  that  his  fate  depends  upon  his  own  voluntary 
choice.  If  he  is  obedient  — chooses  the  good  and  shuns  the 
evil — all  will  be  well  with  him.  If  not,  calamity  and  sor- 
row await  him. 

Moses  in  his  dying  address,  Solomon  at  the  dedication 
of  the  temple,  and  all  the  ancient  seers  and  prophets  reite- 
rated the  same  great  principle  of  the  divine  government, 
that  happiness  and  misery,  joy  and  sorrow,  life  and  death, 
were  conditional,  more  or  less,  on  our  own  conduct,  and 
not  on  foreknowledge,  election,  or  predestination. 

Though  his  memory  was  stored  with  numberless  pas- 
sages from  the  Old  Testament  bearing  directly  on  this 
subject,  none  I  ever  heard  him  repeat  were  more  conclu- 
sive, at  least  to  my  mind,  than  those  remarkable  texts  to 
be  found  in  the  Prophecy  of  Ezekiel,  18  :  21-24,  27,  28, 
31.  32. 

"  But  if  the  wicked  will  return  from  the  sins  he  hath  committed,  and 
keep  all  my  statutes,  and  do  all  that  which  is  lawful  and  right,  he  shall 
Burely  live,  he  shall  not  die.  All  his  transgressions  that  he  hath  com- 
mitted they  shall  not  be  mentioned  unto  him.  In  his  righteousness  that 
he  hath  done  shall  he  live. 


284  ELDER   EEUBEN    ROSS. 

"Have  I  any  pleasure  at  all  that  the  wicked  should  die  ?  saith  the 
Lord  God,  and  not  that  he  should  return  from  his  waj's  and  live?  But 
when  the  righteous  turneth  away  from  his  righteoxisness  and  committeth 
iniquity  and  doeth  according  to  all  the  abominations  that  the  wicked 
man  doeth,  shall  he  live  ?  All  his  righteousness  that  he  hath  done  shall 
not  be  mentioned.  In  his  trespass  that  he  hath  trespassed  and  in  his  sin 
that  he  hath  sinned,  in  them  shall  he  die. 

"  When  the  wicked  man  turneth  away  from  his  wickedness  that  he 
hath  committed  and  doeth  that  which  is  lawful  and  right,  he  shall  save 
his  soul  alive.  Because  he  considereth  and  turneth  away  from  all  his 
transgressions  that  he  hath  committed,  he  shall  surely  live,  he  shall  not 
die. 

"  Cast  away  from  ye  all  your  transgressions  whereby  ye  have  trans- 
gressed and  make  you  a  new  heart  and  a  new  spirit,  for  why  will  you 
die,  O  house  of  Israel  ?  For  1  have  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  him  that 
dieth,  saith  the  Lord  God  ;  wherefore  turn  yourselves  and  live." 

"  Who,"  he  would  say,  after  reading  these  texts,  "  can 
doubt  that  man's  salvation  is  conditional  ?  "  And  not  only 
are  the  blessings  of  life  and  salvation  conditional,  but  those 
of  a  temporal  character  also.  This  underlying  principle 
he  taught  was  everywhere  visible.  Industry,  economy,  and 
prudence  are  the  conditions  of  wealth ;  temperance  and 
exercise,  of  health ;  good  order  and  system,  of  success  in 
business ;  uprightness  and  integrity,  of  esteem  and  con- 
fidence. This  has  been  the  judgment  and  belief  of  all  man- 
kind. 

To  the  husbandman  his  Creator  had  given  the  fertile 
soil,  the  early  and  the  latter  rain,  the  sunshine  and  the 
dew  ;  with  strength  and  intelligence  to  cultivate  his  crops 
and  bring  them  to  maturity,  on  condition  that  he  will  do 
his  part.  But  the  Creator  will  not  plow  his  fields  or  gather 
in  his  harvest.  This  he  must  do  for  himself,  or,  like  the 
sluggard,  who  will  not  plow  by  reason  of  the  cold,  in  har- 
vest he  must  bco;  and  have  nothincr. 


ELDER   ROSS   EXPLAINS   HIS   VIEWS.  285 

In  the  New  Testament,  likewise,  this  doctrine  is  every- 
where taught.  The  merciful  are  to  obtain  mercy.  The 
pure  in  heart  are  to  see  God.  The  peace-makers  are  to  be 
culled  the  children  of  God.  Those  who  ask  are  to  receive. 
To  those  who  knock  it  is  to  be  opened.  Those  who  be- 
lieve on  the  Son  are  to  have  everlasting  life.  Those  who 
believe  not  on  the  Son  are  not  to  see  life. 

When  asked  if  there  were  not  texts  which  seemed  to 
teach  differently?  he  would  reply  that  many  good  men 
thought  there  were  such  ;  but  that  conditional  and  uncon- 
ditional salvation  could  not  both  be  true,  since  this  would 
involve  a  contradiction  in  terms ;  and  hence  the  conclu- 
sion that  they  were  misunderstood,  and  that,  were  this  not 
the  case,  all  parts  of  the  sacred  writings  would  be  found 
to  harmonize  on  this  subject. 

By  supplying  a  word  or  phrase,  now  and  then,  which  is 
done  in  every  language,  to  bring  out  the  meaning  (and  no- 
where oftener  than  in  the  Bible,  as  may  be  seen  by  the 
number  of  italicised  words  on  almost  every  page),  there 
would  be  found,  as  he  thought,  but  few  texts  not  in  accord 
with  the  drift  and  scope  of  the  Bible  in  its  teaching  in  re- 
gard to  salvation  as  being  conditional  or  unconditional. 

In  the  text  that  reads  :  "  For  whom  he  did  foreknow 
he  also  did  predestinate  to  be  conformed  to  the  image  of 
his  Son,"  were  the  reading  thus  :  "  For  whom  he  did  fore- 
know" would  love  and  serve  him,  "  he  did  predestinate  to 
be  conformed  to  the  image  of  his  Son,"*  what  an  important 

*  Would  not  this  turn  the  text  from  its  true  meaning  ?  The  question 
is  whether  the  love  of  God's  people  is  the  cause  of  his  foreknowledge,  or 
whether  his  foreknowledge  has  a  causal  influence  on  their  love  ?  The 
mysteries  of  foreknowledge  and  predestination  are  proverbially  deep. 

J.  M.  P. 
13* 


286 


ELDER   REUBEN  ROSS. 


turn  it  would  give  to  this  text  ?  And  so  of  others 
like  it. 

The  same  method  of  reasoning  should  hold  in  the  inter- 
pretation of  Scripture  that  does  in  all  other  writings. 

When  the  great  law  of  nature  is  established,  that  all 
ponderable  bodies  are  attracted  towards  the  earth,  it  must 
not  be  set  aside  because  smoke  and  vapor  are  often  seen  to 
ascend  from  it.  The  exceptions  must  yield  to  the  rule^ 
not  the  rule  to  the  exceptions.  So  when  the  Bible  clearly 
teaches  that  all  our  blessings,  political  and  temporal,  are 
conditional  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  if  a  few  texts  seem 
to  teach  differently,  we  must  conclude  that,  for  some  rea- 
son, they  are  not  well  understood,  rather  than  that  the 
Bible  contradicts  itself,  which  we  are  compelled  to  do  when 
we  make  it  say  that  salvation  is  both  conditional  and  un- 
conditional, this  being  a  contradiction  in  terms  and  conse- 
quently absurd,  as  already  observed. 

He  now  bade  adieu  forever  to  the  Calvinistic  dogma, 
"  That  God  hath  chosen  a  certain  number  of  the  fallen 
race  of  Adam  in  Christ  before  the  foundation  of  the  world, 
unto  eternal  glory,  according  to  his  immutable  purpose 
and  of  his  free  grace  and  love,  without  the  least  foresight 
of  faith,  good  works,  or  any  conditions  performed  by  the 
creature  ;  and  that  the  rest  of  mankind  he  was  pleased  to 
pass  by  and  ordain  to  dishonor  and  wrath  for  their  sins,  to 
the  praise  of  his  vindictive  justice."  (Buck's  Theological 
Dictionary.    Art.  Calvinist.) 

What  next  claimed  useful  investigation  was  the  nature 
and  extent  of  the  Atonement  made  for  sin.  That  is  to  say, 
whether  it  was  made  for  all  or  limited  to  a  part  of  the 
human  race  only.  He  concluded  the  shortest  and  best 
way  to  ascertain  the  teaching  of  the  Bible  on  this  subject, 


ELDER   ROSS   EXPLAINS   HIS   VIEWS.  287 

was  to  ascertain  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  invitations — 
since,  if  the  Scriptures  teach  that  all  are  invited,  the 
natural  inference  would  be  that  the  Atonement  was  made 
for  all.  And  here,  with  deep  emotion,  he  would  repeat 
those  glorious  texts  which  forever  set  this  question  at  rest. 
To  him  this  was  a  delightful  theme ;  one  on  which  he 
loved  to  dwell ;  one  every  way  congenial  to  his  nature. 
Some  of  these  I  remember  as  distinctly  as  if  I  had  heard 
him  repeat  them  yesterday.  Among  them  were  such  as 
these  : 

"  Look  unto  me  and  be  ye  saved  all  the  ends  of  the  earth,  for  I  am 
God,  and  beside  me  there  is  none  else." 

"  Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  waters,  and  he  that 
hatli  no  money :  come  ye,  buy  and  eat ;  yea,  come,  buy  wine  and  milk 
without  money  and  without  price." 

"  And  the  Spirit  and  the  bride  say  come,  and  let  him  that  hearetb  say 
come,  and  whosoever  will,  let  him  take  of  the  water  of  life  freely." 

"  Let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way  and  the  unrighteous  man  his 
thoughta,  and  let  him  return  unto  the  Lord  and  he  will  have  mercy 
upon  him,  and  to  our  God,  who  will  abundantly  pardon." 

"  He  is  the  propitiation  for  our  sins,  and  not  for  ours  only,  but  also 
for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world." 

"  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons,  but  in  every  nation  he  that  feareth 
him  and  worketh  righteousness  is  accepted  of  him." 

These  texts,  and  many  others  like  them,  left  no  doubt 
on  his  mind  that  the  Atonement  was  general  and  unlimit- 
ed, and  that  "  Christ  had,  by  the  grace  of  God,  tasted  death 
for  every  man  "  (Heb.  2 :  9)  who  would  become  his  fol- 
lower and  learn  to  love  and  serve  him. 

Havins:  thus  satisfied  himself  that  man's  salvation  is  con- 
ditional  and  depends  on  his  character  and  conduct  *    and 

*  More  scripturally  accurate  to  say,  according  to  his  faith  in  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  or  his  continuance  in  unbelief  and  in  "  neglect  of  so  great 
salvation.''  J.   M.  P. 


288  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

not  on  election  or  predestination,  and  that  the  atonement 
is  general,  he  determined  henceforth  to  preach  in  accord- 
ance with  these  views,  and  a  fitting  opportunity  soon  after 
presented  itself  to  address  the  people  in  regard  to  them. 

In  the  month  of  July  1817,  he  was  requested  to  preach 
the  funeral  sermon  of  Miss  Eliza  Norfleet,  who  had  died 
some  time  previously  near  Port  Eoyal,  Tenn.  From  what 
I  have  heard  of  this  young  lady  she  was  greatly  esteemed 
and  beloved  in  the  community  in  which  she  had  lived,  on 
account  of  her  gentle  and  amiable  character, — one  of  those 
bright  flowers  so  often  seen  to  bud,  bloom,  and  fade  away 
in  the  morning  of  life.  The  place  where  the  funeral  ser- 
mon was  preached  was  a  short  distance  only  from  Port 
Royal,  on  the  road  leading  thence  to  Nashville,  distant 
only  a  few  miles  from  the  spot  where  ten  years  before  he 
had  first  been  heard  as  a  preacher  in  Tennessee ;  and  now 
as  then  in  a  grove  of  shady  trees  and  in  a  community 
where  he  was  highly  esteemed  both  as  a  man  and  as  a 
preacher.  The  wish  was  general  to  pay  marked  respect  to 
the  memory  of  the  departed,  and  to  hear  a  favorite  preacher 
on  the  occasion.  I  have  seen  lately  several  old  gentlemen 
of  the  highest  respectability  who  were  then  present  and 
from  whom  I  learned  many  interesting  particulars. 

Your  grandfather,  on  that  occasion,  preached  a  sermon 
remarkable,  both  on  account  of  the  deep  impression  it  left 
on  the  minds  of  the  people  who  heard  it  and  on  account  of 
the  important  consequences  that  followed.  In  the  conclu- 
sion of  his  discourse  he  gave  utterance  to  those  views  which 
characterized  his  preaching  until  the  close  of  his  minis- 
terial labors  ;  they  were  as  follows  : 

That  the  human  race  in  consequence  of  disobedience,  are 
in  a  state  of  alienation  and  rebellion  against  their  Creator 


ELDER    ROSS   EXPLAINS    HIS    VIEWS.  289 

and  they  must  become  reconciled  to  him  before  they  can 
obtain  his  favor  and  forgiveness, — that  Christ  by  his  suf- 
ferino;  and  death  has  made  an  atonement  sufl&cient  for  the 
sins  of  the  whole  world, — that  salvation  to  all  who  will 
accept  the  terms,  is  as  free  as  the  light  of  heaven  or  as  the 
air  we  breathe, — that  he  has  given  his  word  to  teach  them 
the  way  and  plan  of  salvation  and  the  terms  on  which 
they  will  be  forgiven  and  received  into  favor, — that  these 
terms  are  repentance,  faith,  love,  and  obedience — in  a  word 
to  become  followers  of  Christ; — that  in  addition  to  the 
word  the  Holy  Spirit  is  given  to  influence  men  directly  to 
believe  in  Christ,  to  love  and  serve  God,  and  lead  pious 
and  godly  lives ;  yet  that  he  never  operates  with  such 
power  on  the  human  soul  as  to  destroy  its  free  agency,  but 
leaves  to  man  the  fearful  responsibility  of  deciding  for  him- 
self whether  he  will  serve  God  or  not. 

That  is,  if  we  yield  to  the  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
and  become  followers  of  Christ,  we  shall  be  pardoned  and 
saved.  If  not,  we  shall  be  lost.  If  we  are  lost,  it  will  be 
our  own  fault.  If  saved,  it  will  be  on  account  of  the  good- 
ness and  mercy  of  God  and  not  for  any  merit  in  us.  That 
the  election  spoken  of  in  the  Bible  is  not  unconditional,  but 
always  has  reference  to  conduct  or  character.  That  the 
Almighty  before  the  foundation  of  the  world  elected  those 
to  be  saved,  that  he  knew  from  the  beginning  would  love 
and  serve  him. 

These  views,  it  is  said,  were  received  with  great  favor  by 
the  people,  and  a  suppressed  expression  of  approbation 
was  heard  to  pass  through  the  multitude. 

When  his  discourse  was  ended  he  descended  from  the 
stand,  passed  silently  through  the  crowd,  mounted  his  horse 
and  rode  home,  about  twenty  miles  distant.     He  does  not 


290  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

wish  just  now  to  meet  face  to  face  his  kind  old  hrethrcn; 
those  who  ton  years  before  had  received  him  with  open 
arms  when  he  first  came  a  stranger  among  them ;  who  had 
given  him  so  many  proofs  of  sincere  friendship,  and  came 
to  hear  him  as  one  of  the  ornaments  of  the  church.  He 
prefers  at  present  to  persue  his  soHtary  ride  and  indulge 
his  feelings  of  regret  that  so  often  in  this  life  duty  and 
friendship  cannot  go  hand  in  hand  together. 

But  while  he  is  wending  his  way  homeward  let  us  re- 
turn to  the  grave  he  had  just  left.  Here  a  little  apart  from 
the  dispersing  crowd  might  have  been  seen  a  group  of  men, 
many  of  whose  heads  were  gray  with  age,  in  earnest  con. 
versation  trying  to  decide  what  was  best  to  be  done  under 
the  circumstances.  It  was  finally  settled  that  Elder  Fort 
should  go  down  to  see  your  grandfather;  expostulate  with 
him  in  regard  to  his  strange  course;  and  try,  if  possible,  to 
induce  him  to  reconsider  what  he  had  said  in  his  sermon, 
and  save  his  church  from  the  great  reproach  he  had  brought 
upon  it  by  falling  into  the  grievous  heresy  of  Arminian- 
ism. 

Elder  Fort  had  a  kind  heart,  was  greatly  attached  to 
your  grandfather,  and  dearly  loved  the  church  to  which 
they  both  belonged.  On  going,  he  found  him  in  his  field 
plowing  his  corn.  Kiding  up  to  the  fence,  after  the  usual 
greeting  he  at  once  made  known  his  business,  told  him  he 
had  caused  great  trouble  among  his  brethren  by  the  wild 
Arrainian  doctrine  he  had  preached  at  the  funeral,  and  he 
had  come  down  at  their  request  to  try  to  convince  him  of 
his  error  and  to  persuade  him,  if  possible,  to  alter  his 
course. 

He  answered  that  he  would  take  his  horse  from  the 
plow,  go  to  the  house,  get  the  Book  and  examine  the  sub- 


ELDER   ROSS   EXPLAINS   HIS   VIEWS.  291 

i^ct  with  him.  To  this  Elder  Fort  replied,  that  he  would 
[refer  taking  a  seat  with  him  under  the  trees  and  discus- 
sing it  where  they  then  were.  This  was  done.  A  long 
and  careful  examination  ensued,  at  the  close  of  which  Elder 
Fort  rose  up  and  said,  "  Brother  Koss,  I  believe  you  are 
right;  I  am  with  you  ;  "  and  henceforth  the}''  stood  side  by 
side  in  proclaiming  a  free  salvation  to  all  who  would  repent, 
believe,  forsake  their  sins,  and  turn  to  God. 

When  Elder  Fort  returned  and  reported  that  Brother 
Ross  still  adhered  to  the  views  he  had  already  expressed, 
and  that  he  himself  had  come  to  adopt  them,  his  brethren 
turned  from  him  as  from  one  no  longer  of  their  fsiith,  and 
thus  commenced  that  estrangement  which  continued  to  in- 
crease and  widen  until  a  separation  took  place  and  a  new 
Association  was  formed,  as  will  in  due  time  be  related. 

It  is  proper  here  to  add  that  although  a  difference  of 
opinion  in  regard  to  election  and  predestination,  or  rather 
to  the  grounds  of  election  and  predestination,  was  the  chief 
cause  of  the  wide  spread  dissatisfaction  among  the  churches 
at  this  time,  yet  this  was  not  the  only  cause  of  alienation 
and  estransrement.    There  was  a  wide  difference  also  amonar 

O  O 

them  on  the  subjects  of  an  educated  ministry  and  Foreign 
and  Domestic  Missions.  The  Old  School  Baptists,  as  we 
may  now  term  them,  were  violently  opposed  to  everything 
of  this  sort,  and  in  favor,  so  to  speak,  of  letting  all  these 
things  take  care  of  themselves.  The  others  felt  a  deep  in- 
terest in  sending  the  gospel  into  foreign  lands,  to  those  sit- 
ting in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death,  to  the  heathen 
nearer  home,  and  also  to  giving  the  ministry  the  advan- 
tages of  learning  and  general  culture. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

AFTER   DECIDING   UPON   HIS    CHOICE. 

Having  thus,  after  long  and  careful  study  of  the  Bible, 
satisfied  himself  in  regard  to  what  it  was  his  duty  to 
preach,  he  never  afterwards  hesitated  to  proclaim  that 
ample  provision  had  been  made  for  the  salvation  of  all 
men ;  that  a  great  and  generous  feast,  as  it  were,  had  been 
provided,  and  all  were  affectionately  invited  to  partake  of 
the  bountiful  provision  freely,  without  money  and  without 
price ;  that  the  Atonement  was  general  and  unlimited ; 
that  the  Holy  Spirit  had  been  poured  out  on  all  flesh  ac- 
cording to  the  ancient  prophecy ;  and  that  all  who  yield  to 
his  divine  influence,  repent,  believe,  forsake  their  sins  and 
turn  to  God,  have  the  promise  of  the  life  that  now  is  and 
of  that  which  is  to  come. 

These  views  which  sounded  strange,  coming  from  a 
Baptist  minister,  drew  together  crowds  of  attentive  hear- 
ers. Many  of  his  old  brethren  adopted  them  heart  and 
soul,  and  rejoiced  to  believe  that  the  gates  of  heaven  were 
open  to  receive  not  only  their  children  and  friends,  but  all 
nations,  kindreds,  and  tongues  who  were  willing  to  enter 
in.  And  being  no  longer  held  in  check  by  the  chilling 
dogmas  of  unconditional  election  and  reprobation,  their 
zeal  became  more  lively  and  active.  Each  one  felt  more 
like  trying  to  aid  the  good  cause,  instead  of  waiting  with 
folded  hands  until  the  Holy  Spirit  should  come  with  irre- 
sistible power  and  convert  the  sinner  notwithstanding  all 
292 


AFTER    DECIDING   UPON    HIS   CHOICE.  293 

his  efforts  to  the  contrary.  And  thus  most  of  the 
churches  and  communities  where  he  preached  seemed  to 
awake,  ;\s  it  were,  from  a  deep  sleep  and  manifest  greater 
interest  in  the  subject  of  religion. 

It  may  be  remarked  here  that  tlie  Baptist  communities, 
extending  over  the  region  of  country  in  which  he  preached, 
were  even  then  a  very  respectable  body  of  Christians, 
though  a  little  antiquated  and  primitive  in  some  respects, 
as  already  stated,  when  compared  with  those  of  the  present 
times. 

Their  democratical  form  of  church  government  was 
their  pride.  They  would  not  permit  king  or  Caesar  to  in- 
terfere with  their  spiritual  rights.  They  were,  indeed,  in 
this  so  straight,  that,  like  the  Indian's  gum-tree,  they 
'leaned  a  little  over  to  one  side.  Their  beloved  and  time- 
honored  act  of  baptism,  hallowed  by  Christ  and  the  har- 
binger in  the  sacred  Jordan,  was  and  is  a  great  bond  ot 
union  among  them  in  every  land.  This  love  of  order  and 
decorum  was  so  great  that  in  their  worship  they  often 
seemed  cold  and  formal.  If  a  good  sister,  giving  way  to 
her  emotions,  kindled  by  the  warm  and  glowing  descrip- 
tions of  hc^iven  and  eternal  rest,  clapped  her  hands  and 
shouted  for  joy,  the  preacher  even  then  generally  came  to 
a  dead  pause,  waited  till  she  "  got  through,"  and  then  went 
on  again,  and  the  good  soul  often  felt  rebuked  for  what 
she  had  done. 

Aware  of  the  damaging  effects  of  the  love  of  money, 
they  contributed  but  little  to  the  support  of  the  preacher ; 
and,  other  things  being  equal,  esteemed  him  more  highly  if 
he  managed  to  support  himself.  They  would  have  gazed 
with  astonishment  at  a  man,  "  hat  in  hand,"  passing 
through  their  congregations,  begging  money  for  their 
preachers ;  yet  they  often  showed  by  their  kindness  and 


294  ELDER   REUBEN  ROSS. 

liberality  to  tlieir  brethren,  friends,  and  neighbors,  that 
this  was  more  from  principle  than  from  the  love  of  money, 
of  which,  indeed,  they  had  but  little  to  give  in  those  days. 
Without  the  assistance  they  rendered  your  grandfather 
and  his  family  in  various  ways,  it  would  have  been  impos- 
sible for  him  to  have  given  his  time  and  thoughts,  as  he 
did,  to  ministerial  work.  In  planting  his  crops  and  gath- 
ering them  in,  his  brethren  and  friends  often  came  and 
assisted  him  with  their  own  hands,  or  sent  their  servants 
when  they  had  them.  The  kind  sisters  would  often  come 
themselves  or  send  their  daughters  to  help  3^our  grand- 
mother in  times  of  sickness,  and  ihey  sometimes  remained 
for  weeks  together,  not  to  be  waited  on,  but  to  render  most 
needful  assistance.  Many  of  these  gentle  nurses  I  remem- 
ber well. 

As  time  rolled  on  and  their  circumstances  improved 
some  of  the  churches  for  whom  he  preached  gave  him  small 
sums  of  money.  This  was  first  done  by  the  Spring  Creek 
Church  in  1824.  The  amount  made  up  for  him  there  was, 
I  think,  sixty  dollars.  He  likewise  married  a  great  many 
young  people.  Sometimes  as  many  as  three  couples  a  day, 
often  living  at  some  distance  from  each  other.  For  this 
he  sometimes  received  small  sums.  Frequently  at  the  re- 
quest of  friends  at  a  distance  he  spent  two  or  three  weeks 
preaching  funeral  discourses,  and  some  of  these  were  con- 
siderate enough  to  make  him  some  compensation.  If  they 
were  not,  nothing  was  ever  said.  His  little  income  from 
these  different  sources,  together  with  the  excellent  man- 
agement and  economy  of  your  grandmother,  enabled  him 
to  live  in  a  plain,  inexpensive  way,  and  to  give  his  time 
and  thoughts  to  the  work  in  which  he  felt  so  deep  an  in- 
terest.    Much,  though,  as  his  heart  was  set  on  this  work 


AFTER   DECIDING   UPON    HIS   CHOICE.  295 

li.^  always  considered  his  duty  to    his  family  paramount, 
inemhering  that  the  sacred  volume  placed  those  who  did 
I  provide  for  their  Aimilies  lower  than  the  infidel  him- 
■if. 

As  they  became  more  prosperous  the  Baptists  of  this 
country  exhibited  a  commendable  spirit  of  liberality  in 
supporting  the  ministry,  contributing  to  aid  in  spreading 
religious  knowledge,  building  up  churches,  schools,  and 
colleges,  and  promoting  the  general  interests  of  society. 

I  have  already  told  you  that  your  grandfather's  preach- 
ing, after  he  began  to  proclaim  a  free  salvation,  became 
more  and  more  impressive.  The  terrible  thought  that 
perhaps  a  large  portion  of  each  congregation  he  addressed 
was  predestinated  to  eternal  death  no  longer  haunted  his 
imagination,  nor  like  an  incubus,  weighed  upon  his  spirits 
and  paralyzed  his  strength.  He  now  no  longer  felt  it  in- 
cumbent on  him  to  investigate  the  endless  mazes  of  liberty 
and  necessity,  free-will,  fatality,  and  predestination.  But 
to  call  upon  men  everywhere  to  repent  and  to  publish  the 
glad  tidings  that  "  God  is  indeed  no  respecter  of  persons, 
but  that  in  every  nation  he  that  fears  him  and  works 
righteousness  is  accepted  of  him." 

It  was  his  earnestness,  based  upon  his  deep  conviction 
of  the  truth  of  what  he  proclaimed  and  his  compassion  for 
his  fellow  men,  that  gave  such  emphasis  to  his  preaching 
during  these  years.  He  no  more  doubted  that  eternal 
happiness  or  endless  woe  depended  on  the  conduct  of  men 
in  this  life,  than  he  doubted  his  own  personal  existence. 
With  him  this  was  no  myth  or  fable, 

"No  idly  feigned  poetic  dream," 
but  a  tremendous  reality.     Hence,  when  he  contemplated 


296  ELDER   REUBEN  ROSS. 

the  thoughtless  and  giddy  multitudes  passing  swiftly  overl 
the  narrow  space  allotted  them  in  this  world,  like  shadows 
over  the  ground,  and  then  plunging,  as  it  were,  without! 
preparation  into  the  shoreless  ocean  before  them,  his  pity] 
knew  no  bounds;    and  he  often  spoke  in  accents  little  less 
moving  than  those  of  the  old  prophet  when  he  exclaimed  :  I 
'  Oh  that  my  head  were  waters  and  mine  eyes  a  fountain  i 
of  tears,  that  I  might  weep  day  and  night  for  the  slain  of  the  I 
daughter    of   ray  people!"     And  very  few,  indeed,  could 
remain  unmoved  by  his  affectionate  appeals  when  he  would 
earnestly  pray  them  as  in  "  Christ's  stead  "  to  be  reconciled 
to  God. 

During  these  and  the  following  years,  his  thoughts  dwelt 
much  on  the  nature  of  the  soul  and  its  capacity  for  happi- 
ness before  and  after  its  separation  from  the  body.  There 
is  in  it,  he  would  say,  a  certain  class  of  feelings  or  sensa- 
tions that  produce  a  high  degree  of  enjoyment  or  happi- 
ness, such  as  those  caused  by  the  contemplation  of  excel- 
lence, beauty,  and  goodness.  Also,  a  consciousness  of 
rectitude  and  of  having  done  or  tried  to  do  our  duty  in  all 
our  relations  to  our  Creator  and  our  fellow  man.  On  the 
other  hand,  there  is  another  class  which  produce  intense 
unhappiness  in  the  soul,  such  as  the  feelings  of  sorrow, 
regret,  remorse,  and  guilt. 

When  preaching  from  the  text :  "  What  shall  it  profit  a 
man  if  he  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  or 
what  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his  soul  ?  "  as  he 
often  did,  he  would  call  attention  to  this  interesting  sub- 
ject. The  lost  soul,  he  would  say,  is  the  soul  that  has  lost 
its  happiness  by  continuing  in  sin  until  the  time  for  re- 
pentance has  been  closed  by  death.  On  the  contrary,  the 
soul  that  is  saved  is  the  one  that  has  gained  endless  happi- 


AFTER  DECIDING   UPON   IIIS  CHOICE.  297 

ness,  by  laying  hold  on  the  hope  set  before  it  in  the  gospel 
an<i  "  by  patient  continuance  in  well-doing,"  until  called 
away  to  its  reward. 

Although  both  our  happiness  and  unhappiness  in  this 
life  may  be  great,  there  is,  ho  would  say,  reason  to  believe 
that  it  bears  no  comparison  to  what  it  would  be  capable  of 
when,  released  from  the  clay  tenement,  it  became  a  pure, 
disembodied  spirit.  With  all  its  powers  and  capacities 
enlarged  either  to  bear  an  exceeding  and  eternal  weight 
of  glory  and  happiness  in  the  presence  of  the  King  of 
kings,  surrounded  by  all  that  is  beautiful  and  good;  or 
to  bewail  forever  its  blindness  and  folly,  with  remorse  and 
anguish  for  having  lost  an  inheritance  so  bright  and  a 
destiny  so  glorious.  What  profit  now,  had  it  gained  the 
whole  world,  with  all  its  power  and  riches  and  glory? 
How  willingly  would  it  barter  them  for  the  happiness  for- 
ever lost ! 

Two  other  distinguished  preachers,  about  this  time 
adopted  your  grandfather's  views,  and  joined  heartily  with 
him  in  preaching  a  free  salvation  ;  the  first  of  these  was 
his  beloved  brother  and  friend,  Elder  William  Tandy. 

Elder  Tandy  was  born  in  Virginia  on  the  27th  of 
JV'bruary,  1778,  and  was  consequently  about  two  years 
your  grandfather's  junior.  On  removing  to  Kentucky  in 
1815,*  he  settled  in  Christian  County,  near  Bethel  Church 
which  immediately  licensed  him  to  preach.  The  next  year 
(1816),  in  the  month  of  July,  he  was  ordained  by  Elders 
Jesse  Brooks,  Leonard  Page,  and  your  grandfather.     And 

*  This  date  should  probably  be  changed  to  1811.  My  father  removed 
to  the  same  county  in  1812,  and  one  of  the  strong  reasons  that  induced 
him  to  buy  the  tract  of  land  on  which  he  settled,  was,  that  it  was  in 
what  was  called  the  "  Tandy  Settlement."  J.  M.  P. 


298  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

in  July,  1817,  one  year  after  bis  ordination,  he  was  called 
to  take  charge  of  Bethel  Church  as  its  pastor. 

I  was  often  at  his  house  when  a  boy,  and  remember  it 
well.  It  was  a  pleasant  place  to  visit,  so  orderly  and 
quiet.  He  was  both  a  polished  gentleman  and  a  pious 
Christian  minister.  One  hardly  know  which  most  to  ad- 
mire— himself  or  his  amiable,  gentle  wife. 

He  completely  won  me  over.  For,  seeing  me  greatly 
pleased  with  a  beautiful  copy  of  Goldsmith's  "  Animated 
Nature,"  filled  with  pictures  of  birds,  beasts,  fishes,  and 
reptiles,  he  permitted  me  to  carry  it  home  with  me.  I 
considered  this  a  great  favor,  and  found  it  little  less  inte- 
resting than  the  Arabian  Tales,  written,  as  it  was,  in  the 
beautiful  style  of  the  author  whom,  as  I  think.  Dr.  John- 
son used  to  call  the  "  inspired  idiot."  Especially  was  I 
charmed  with  the  description  of  that  monster  of  monsters^ 
the  Kraken,  which  it  was  said,  when  basking  on  the  sur- 
fiice  of -the  sea,  the  mariners  mistook  for  an  island,  accord- 
ing to  Milton,  and  cast  their  anchors  in  its  scaly  rind. 

Elder  Tandy  was  a  man  of  fine  abilities,  and  greatly  be- 
loved and  admired  as  a  preacher.     Very  soon  after  begin- 
ning to  speak,  his  eyes  would  fill  with  tears,  and   this 
would  continue  until  the  close  of  his  address.     Although 
his  appearance  was  stout  and  manly  his  voice  was  low  and 
weak  ;  and,  in  order  to  hear  what  he  said,  all  endeavored  i 
to  make  as  little  noise  as  possible  while  he  was  speaking 
One  needed  to  listen  to  him  but  a  few  moments  to  become  ^ 
deeply  interested   in  what   he   said.     For  about   twelve] 
months  at  one  time  his  voice  failed  him  entirely.     It  was* 
then  touching  to  see  him  with  his  tablet  and  pencil  tryingj 
to  converse  with  his  friends.     He  partially  regained  hi 
speech,  however,  but  never  so  as  afterwards  to  be  able 
speak  in  public. 


AFTER   DECIDING   UPON   HIS   CHOICE.  299 

After  his  voice  failed  him,  your  grandfather  was  chosen 
to  take  his  place  as  pastor  of  his  church,  and  continued  to 
act  as  such  about  seventeen  years.  In  this  church  he 
made  his  last  public  address,  as  we  shall  have  occasion  to 
mention  in  its  proper  place.  Here,  too,  in  July,  1860,  his 
beloved  brother,  Eev.  J.  M.  Pendleton,  prea<  hed  his  funeral 
sermon. 

During  the  years  he  was  pastor  of  this  church,  I  think 
your  grandfather's  success  as  a  preacher  was  more  splen- 
did than  at  any  other  period  of  his  ministry ;  not  only 
within  the  bounds  of  the  church,  but  in  all  the  surround- 
ing country.  Here,  too,  on  one  bright  summer  morning 
in  1838,  he  baptized  at  one  time  sixty-six  converts. 
Though  often  before  and  afterwards  he  baptized  many  at 
the  same  time,  I  think  this  was  the  greatest  number  he 
ever  baptized  on  one  occasion. 

He  was  greatly  attached  to  this  people  and  to  Elder 
Tandy,  who  rejoiced  to  see  his  church  grow  and  prosper 
under  his  ministry.  Among  them  he  chose  to  spend  the 
last  years  of  his  life,  and  some  of  them  were  around  him 
when  he  breathed  his  last. 

Of  Elder  William  Tandy  it  has  been  said  : 

"  He  was  an  every-day  Christian,  who  exemplified  the  precepts  of  the 
gospel  he  preached.  He  was  a  man  of  vigorous  intellect,  sound  judg- 
ment and  affectionate  heart,  and  remarkable  for  his  knowledge  of  church 
discipline.  There  were,  owing  to  his  judicious  management,  but  few 
difficulties  in  the  churches  that  enjoyed  his  ministry.  His  sermons  were 
plain,  full  of  truth  ;  and  often  were  the  emotions  of  his  heart  such  as  to 
impede  his  utterance  and  fill  his  eyes  with  tears.  There  was  eloquence 
in  those  tears,  for  they  were  the  exponents  of  feeling,  to  which  language 
refused  to  give  expression.  After  many  years  of  faithful  labor,  having 
been  at  one  time  entirely  deprived  of  his  voice,  he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus, 
and,  as  Peter  said  of  David :  '  his  sepulchre  is  with  us  unto  this  day.' " 


300  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

Elder  William  Tandy  was  born  in  Virginia,  February 
27th,  1778,  and  died  in  Christian  County,  Kentucky,  Oct. 
12th,  1838,  in  the  sixty-first  year  of  his  age,  and  was 
buried  on  the  place  where  he  lived  when  I  first  knew  him 
in  my  boyhood.  After  his  death  his  name  was  never  mea-j 
tioncd  but  in  terms  of  the  highest  esteem  and  regard  bj 
your  grandfather.  The  love  between  them  much  resem^ 
bled  that  of  David  and  Jonathan. 

Elder  Ambrose  Bourne  was  the  other  of  the  twd 
brethren  alluded  to.  He  removed,  I  think,  from  Bourbol 
County,  Kentucky,  and  settled  near  Allensville,  Logai 
County,  then  and  now  considered  one  of  the  most  fertile 
and  beautiful  regions  of  the  southern  portion  of  the  StateJ 
I  cannot  say  at  what  date  he  came  among  us.  I  notice] 
however,  in  some  of  the  minutes  of  the  Red  River  Associa-j 
tion,  that  he  and  a  Mr.  Stephen  Trabue  were  sent  by  the 
Mount  Gilead  Church  as  Messengers  to  an  Associatioi 
held  at  Cave  Spring  Meeting-house,  in  Robertson  CountyJ 
Tennessee,  in  1816. 

Elder  Bourne  was  below  medium  height,  well-formec 
and  active,  lively  and  cheerful  in  company,  and  possesse 
of  a  good  deal  of  pleasant  humor  when  among  his  friends 
the  more  striking  because,  when  he  chose  to  do  so,  he 
could  assume  an  expression  of  countenance  that  indicated 
anything  rather  than  wit  and  humor.  Your  grandfather 
had  many  amusing  anecdotes  to  relate  of  him. 

I  heard  him  say  that  once  he  and  Brother  Bourne  set 
off  together  to  a  big  meeting  at  a  distance,  when  the  roads 
were  nearly  impassable.  He  on  his  grey  mare  Juno,  with 
his  saddle-bags  on  his  saddle  under  a  piece  of  buffalo-robe. 


AFTER   DECIDING    UPON    UIS   CHOICE.  301 

to  protect  them  from  the  rains ;  his  umbrella  tied  to  the 
pommel  of  his  saddle  with  a  thong  of  buckskin;  his 
great  coat  rolled  up  and  strapped  behind  his  saddle  on  a 
small  pad,  to  prevent  being  soiled  by  the  sweating  of  his 
horse;  and  in  a  suit  somewhat  travel-stained  and  worn.  I 
may  here  remark  that  something  like  this  was  his  usual 
outfit  when  out  on  active  service. 

Brother  Bourne,  on  the  other  hand,  being  a  widower^ 
had  a  new  buggy  with  silver  mounting,  drawn  by  a  hand- 
some  Kentucky  horse,  and  was  dressed  in  a  suit  of  fine 
broad-cloth — a  marvel  of  an  outfit  for  those  times.  On  step- 
ping into  his  buggy,  before  giving  his  horse  the  reins,  with 
a  serio-comic  expression  that  he  could  so  well  assume  when 
he  chose,  he  said  :  "  Brother  Ross,  I  know  how  you  must 
feel.     I  was  a  poor  man  once  myself,  and  had  to  ride  on 
horseback  just  as  you  do  now.     But  don't  be  discouraged; 
see  how  I  have  risen  in  the  world.     Your  time  may  come 
some  day.     And,  as  I  shall  not  see  you  again  before  we 
reach  the  meeting-house,  I  bid  you  good  morning,"  dashed 
off  and  was  soon  out  of  sight.     But  the  fates  were  against 
Brother  Bourne  that  day.     The  roads  grew  worse  and 
worse  and  the  buggy  moved  more  and  more  slowly.    Juno 
seemed  to  be  in  a  lively  mood  that  morning,  and  fell  into 
a  long,  swinging  trot,  as  if  she  thought  she  and  her  master 
were  behind  time.     In  about  an  hour  he  began  to  see  the 
glinting  of  the  bright  mounting  of  the  buggy.     At  length 
he  came  in  full  view  of  it  and  could  see  Broiher  Bourne 
whipping  up  his  weary  horse  and  occasionally  putting  out 
his  head  and  looking  back.     It  was  clear  he  did  not  wish 
to  be  overtaken  at  that  time  by  his  pursuer;  but  there  was 
no  help  for  it,  and  soon  they  were  side  by  side.    It  so  hap- 
pened that  just  then  something  on  the  other  side  of  the 
14 


302  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

road   seemed    to  attract  Brother   Bourne's   attention, 
which  he  continued  looking  long  enough  for  your  gran( 
father  to  have  passed  on.     But  he  did  not. 

At  length  he  said,  turning  his  face  to  him  :  "  Brother^ 
Eoss,  what  disgusting  things  these  buggies  are  ?  If  it 
were  not  for  the  grandeur  of  the  thing,  I  would  much 
rather  be  on  horseback  like  you."  Here  they  both  broke 
down  and  had  a  hearty  laugh.  "  The  grandeur  of  the 
thing,"  became  a  saying  with  your  grandfather  afterwards, 
and  he  would  repeat  it  when  he  observed  any  one  sacrifi- 
cing comfort  and  convenience  to  show. 

Subsequently,  Elder  Bourne  and  several  other  preachers 
were  entertained  by  one  of  their  hospitable  brethren,  where 
were  several  handsome  young  ladies,  one  of  whom  was 
named  Charity.  After  they  retired  to  their  rooms,  a  dis- 
cussion rose  about  the  comparative  beauty  and  accomplish- 
ments of  the  young  ladies. 

An  appeal  was  finally  made  to  Elder  Bourne  for  his 
opinion,  when  he  said  :  "  In  my  judgment,  my  brethren, 
the  greatest  of  these  is  Charity."  I  know  you  will  be  in- 
terested in  learning  that  he  and  the  fair  Charity,  in  whose 
favor  he  decided,  were  afterwards  married. 

Elder  Bourne  heartily  concurred  in  your  grandfather's 
views,  and  said,  as  Elder  Fort  had  done  before,  they  were 
right,  and  he  never  intended  to  preach  the  hard  old  doc- 
trine again,  but  proclaim  the  great  truth  which  he  thought 
the  Bible  clearly  taught,  that  salvation  is  free  to  all  who 
will  avail  themselves  of  the  offered  pardon. 

He  was  a  very  fluent  speaker,  and,  when  animated,  had 
a  peculiar  tone  of  voice  which  many  thought  very  pleas- 
ing. His  discourses  were  adorned  with  many  beautiful 
quotations  from  the  Bible,  selected  and  applied  with  taste 
and  judgment. 


AFTER   DECFDING   UPON   HIS   CHOICE.  303 

I  remember  to  have  heard  him  when  speaking  of  those 
who  come  to  see  and  feel  their  own  sinful  nature,  repeat 
with  great  effect  some  of  the  sublime  verses  in  the  sixth 
chapter  of  Isaiah : 

"  In  the  year  that  King  Uzziah  died  I  saw  also  the  Lord  sitting  upon 
a  throne  high  and  lifted  up,  and  his  train  filled  the  temple.  Above  it 
stood  the  seraphim  ;  each  one  had  six  wings ;  with  twain  he  covered  his 
face,  and  with  twain  he  covered  his  feet,  and  with  twain  he  did  fly.  And 
one  cried  to  another  and  said :  Holy,  Holy,  Holy  is  the  Lord  of  Hosts ; 
the  whole  earth  is  full  of  his  glory.  And  the  posts  of  the  door  moved  at 
the  voice  of  him  that  cried,  and  the  house  was  filled  with  smoke. 

"  Then  said  I :  Woe  is  me  for  I  am  undone,  because  I  am  a  man  of  un- 
clean lips,  and  I  dwell  in  the  midst  of  a  people  of  unclean  lips,  for  mine 
eyes  have  seen  the  king,   the  Lord  of  hosts." 

He  often  made  quotations  from  the  older  British  poets, 
such  as  Milton  and  Young,  with  whom  he  seemed  fa- 
miliar, and  the  lines  he  repeated  were  always  appropriate, 
giving  force  and  weight  to  his  thoughts.  I  first  heard 
him  preach  near  the  residence  of  a  worthy  brother  named 
Ransom  Tinsly,  near  what  is  now  called  the  "  Big  Pond," 
formerly,  "  Renfroe's  Pond"  in  the  southern  part  of  Todd 
County,  Kentucky. 

Elder  Bourne  was  born  in  Virginia,  September  12,  1778, 
and  died  October  13,  1823,  in  the  fifty-first  year  of  his 
age.  It  pleased  the  Master  in  whose  vineyard  he  had 
labored  long  and  faithfully  to  remove  him  to  his  reward, 
though  in  the  midst  of  his  usefulness  and  in  the  maturity 
of  his  faculties.     The   news  of  his   death  brougrht  sorrow 

O 

to  the  hearts  of  many,  but  to  none  more  than  to  the 
brother  by  whose  side  he  stood  when  friends  such  as  he 
were  few. 

I  may  in  passing  here  state  that  about  this  time  in  the 
year  1818,  the  Little  West    Fort  Church  was  organized. 


304  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

Until  then  it  was  an  arm  or  branch  of  Spring  Creek 
Church.  When  constituted  your  grandfather  became  its 
pastor,  and  acted  as  such  about  forty-two  years.  Of  this 
church  you  and  your  grandfather  were  members  when  they 
died.  Elder  S.  S.  Mallory  became  its  pastor  after  his  death 
in  1860.  Seldom  perhaps  has  been  witnessed  a  greater 
degree  of  esteem  and  brotherly  love  than  subsisted  be- 
tween your  grandfather  and  Elder  S.  S.  and  John  Mal- 
lory who  were  members  of  this  church.  They  were  raised 
up  under  his  ministry ;  and  on  the  one  side  there  was 
something  resembling  filial  love  and  reverence ;  and  on 
the  other,  parental  affection  and  regard,  which  knew  no 
abatement  to  the  last.  In  his  old  age  their  names  seemed 
to  sound  pleasant  in  his  ears,  and  a  visit  from  them  ap- 
peared to  afford  him  the  sincerest  pleasure.  It  was  one 
of  those  pure  unselfish  friendships,  so  pleasant  to  witness 
and  so  creditable  to  the  human  heart.  Only  one  of  these, 
S.  S.  Mallory,  is  still  living — an  honored  member  of  the  i 
old  church. 

In  its  palmy  days  the  Little  West  Fork  Church  was  a 
large  and  flourishing  body  of  Christians  imbued  with  as 
much  of  the  true  religious  element  as  could  any  where  be  | 
found.     When  a  boy  I  was  a  regular  attendant  at  these] 
meetings,  and  well  remember  many  of  the  old   brethren! 
and   sisters,  who,  on  account  of  their  piety  and  Christian! 
spirit,  still  remain  with   me   the  ideals  of    the   Christian 
character.     Many  of  these  are  dead  ;    many  moved  away  i 
to  find  homes  elsewhere;    but   I   learn  it  still   numbers! 
about  eighty  members.     May  it  again  revive  and  flourish  | 
as  in  the  days  of  its  former  prosperity. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

FORMATION    OF    BETHEL    ASSOCIATION. 

All  the  churches  of  the  Red  River  Association  became 
at  length  more  or  less  agitated  by  the  preaching  of  the 
new  doctrine.  They  had  the  same  creed,  but  all  the  min- 
isters were  not  preaching  in  accordance  with  it.  A  direct 
collision,  however,  seldom  or  never  occurred.  A  coolness 
was  at  first  observable.  To  this  succeeded  something  like 
aversion,  until  finally  the  brethren  could  no  longer  be  seen 
sitting  together  in  the  same  pulpit. 

The  advocates  of  the  milder  doctrine  boldly  proclaimed 
their  views,  but  avoided  the  mistake,  too  common  among 
reformers,  of  discussing  them  incessantly.  When  these 
subjects  came  up  naturally  in  their  preaching  they  noticed 
them,  and  then  passed  on  to  that  which  lay  nearer  their 
hearts,  trying  to  persuade  men  in  Christ's  stead  to  be  re- 
conciled to  God,  and  leaving  the  impression  on  the  minds 
of  the  hearers  that  they  wished  them  to  become  Christians 
rather  than  proselytes.  This  is  a  great  element  of  success 
in  all  public  speaking.  He  that  leaves  on  the  minds  of 
his  audience  the  impression  that  it  is  their  good  he  has  at 
heart,  and  not  their  votes  or  support,  will  always  be  lis- 
tened to  with  greater  interest,  all  else  being  equal. 

In  some  of  the  churches  a  majority  was  in  favor  of  the 
old,  in  others  of  the  new,  and  in  others  again  they  were 
nearly  equal.     In  none  of  these  cases,  however,  did  they 

305 


306  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

bring  to  trial  and  excommunicate  each  other,  but  granted 
letters  of  dismission,  which  each  one  could  take,  and 
unite  with  any  other  church  that  held  views  similar  to  his 
own.  In  these  letters  the  old  formula  of  "  the  same  faith 
and  order" — was  not  often  inserted,  I  think,  but  an  ac- 
knowledgment simply  of  their  being  in  good  standing 
and  fellowship  in  the  churches  they  had  left.  In  this 
way,  by  the  simple  operation  of  the  forces  of  attraction  and 
repulsion,  the  kindred  elements,  so  to  speak,  were  brought 
together  and  united.  In  a  few  cases,  however,  an  effort 
was  made  to  do  something  more. 

In  the  year  1823,  his  brother,  Christopher  Owens,  a 
worthy  member  of  Spring  Creek  Church,  preferred  a 
charge  of  preaching  unscriptural  doctrine  against  Brother 
Ross.  The  church  immediately  took  action  in  the  case, 
and  decided  by  a  unanimous  vote  that  in  its  judgment, 
Brother  Owens  was  mistaken,  and  he  withdrew  the  charge. 
But  it  is  probable  he  was  not  satisfied  on  the  subject,  as  he 
and  his  wife  soon  after  applied  for  letters,  and  left  the 
church.  He  has  been  mentioned  in  this  narrative  before 
— was  a  good  man  and  one  of  your  grandfather's  earliest 
friends.  I  believe  it  was  thought  he  had  been  put  for- 
ward by  some  other  person  who  did  not  wish  to  be  known 
in  the  affair.  Had  the  charge  been  that  your  grandfather 
had  preached  contrary  to  the  creed,  it  could  have  been 
easily  sustained,  for  it  was  clear  he  had  been  doing  this. 
No  doubt,  the  old  brother  thought  the  Bible  and  the 
creed  were  pretty  much  the  same  thing,  and  that  preach- 
ing against  one  was  the  same  as  opposing  the  other. 

About  the  same  time  one  of  the  sisters,  a  prominent 
member  of  the  same  church,  who  always  expressed  herself 
freely,  demanded  a  letter  from  the  church  as  she  said  "  on 


FORMATrO^T    OF   BETHEL   ASSOCIATION.  307 

principle,"  declaring  it  to  be  her  belief  that  "  if  she  was  a 
child  of  God,  at  all,  it  was  long  before  she  was  regenerated." 
In  this,  as  one  might  say,  "  rem  tetigit  acu,"  "She  touched 
the  subject  with  the  point  of  her  needle,",  for  all  orthodox 
Calvinists  believe  they  were  the  children  of  God  while  yet 
in  their  sins.*  She  rv3quested,  moreover,  that  this  declara- 
tion should  be  committed  to  record,  and  accordingly  it 
was  put  on  the  journal  and  her  letter  given  her. 

Elder  John  S.  Wilson  about  this  time  preached  a  ser- 
mon at  Drake's  Pond  Church  from  Rom.  1 :  16,  "  For  I  am 
not  ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ :  for  it  is  the  power 
of  God  to  salvation  unto  every  one  that  believeth."  In  his 
remarks  he  said,  "  The  Atonement  is  general,  and  all  who 
will  may  avail  themselves  of  its  benefits."  Soon  after  a 
number  of  the  brethren  and  sisters  met  — drew  up  a  pro- 
test against  such  a  declaration,  and  set  their  names  to  it. 
Some  of  these  you  have  seen  and  remember  well  —honest 
and  upright  men,  as  well  as  high  toned  Calvinists. 

I  mention  these  incidents  to  show  you  what  was  going 

*Tlii8  does  "  Orthodox  Calvinists"  great  injustice.  They  do  not  be- 
lieve tliat  any  who  are  "in  their  sins''  are  really  the  children  of  God, 
whatever  they  may  be  in  the  divine  purpose.  There  are  certain  state- 
ments of  the  Scriptures  which  they  fully  believe,  and  which  clearly  settle 
the  whole  question  : — Ist.  The  Apostle  says  to  the  Galatians,  "  Ye  are 
all  the  children  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus  ;"  of  course  then,  not  be- 
fore faith  is  exercised.  2.  He  says  to  the  Ephe.^ians,  "  After  that  ye  be- 
lieved, ye  were  sealed  with  the  Holy  Spirit  of  promise,"  not  before  they 
believed.  3.  He  says  again  to  the  Ephesians,  that  when  in  their  unre" 
newed  state,  they  "  were  without  [out«ide  of  J  Christ,  being  aliens  from  the 
commonwealth  of  Israel  and  stranger.s  from  the  covenants  of  promise, 
having  no  hope  and  without  God  in  the  world  ;  but  now  in  Christ  .Tesu8 
[that  is,  after  that  ye  believed],  ye  who  sometimes  were  afar  off  are  made 
nigh  by  the  blood  of  Christ."  It  is  often  difficult  to  do  exact  justice  to 
those  whose  views  do  not  accord  with  our  own.  J.  M.  P. 


308  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

on  during  these  years  araong  tlie  churches.  Coming  events 
were  beginning  to  cast  their  shadows  before.  Many  la- 
mented the  breaking  up  of  the  old  brotherhood  which  now 
seemed  inevitable,  and  days  of  fasting  and  prayer  for  the 
peace  of  Zion  were  often  appointed  by  the  churches,  as 
may  be  seen  by  referring  to  the  church  records  of  the  time. 

"  At  length,  in  1823,  a  convention  of  delegates  from  the 
churches  of  the  Red  Eiver  Association  was  appointed  to 
meet  at  Union  Meeting-house,  in  Logan  County,  Kentucky? 
with  the  view  professedly  of  establishing  peace  within  its 
bounds."  To  this  convention  your  grandfather,  your  grand- 
uncle,  Edward  G.  Walton,  and  Mr.  Bryan  Whitfield  were 
sent  as  delegates  by  the  Spring  Creek  Church.  "  The  pro- 
posed object  was  a  good  one,  and  it  is  not  strange  that  a 
majority  voted  for  the  measure." 

But  when  the  Convention  met  it  soon  became  apparent 
that  it  was  the  object  of  many  leading  members  who  were 
opposed  to  your  grandfather's  doctrinal  views  to  put  him 
on  his  trial,  condemn  and  suppress  them.  The  chai'ge, 
though,  was  that  he  had  disturbed  the  peace  of  the  Asso- 
ciation by  preaching  doctrines  contrary  to  the  creed,  or 
"  Abstract  of  Principles."  This  took  him  rather  by  sur- 
prise, as  he  expected  to  be  called  to  account  for  preaching 
doctrines  not  in  accordance  with  the  Scriptures. 

His  promptness,  sagacity  and  coolness  on  this  occasions 
I  remember  to  have  heard  spoken  of  with  admiration  lonj 
afterwards.  He  at  once  refused  to  be  tried  by  the  Creec 
as  of  any  binding  authority,  and  said  : 

"  Inasmuch  as  that  instrument  itself  declares  that  the  word  of  God 
the  only  rule,  then  there  is  no  other,  and  I  will  be  tried  by  no  otherl 
The  creed  itself  confesses  its  want  of  authority  when  it  declares,  in  it 
very  first  article,  that  the  word  of   (lod-is  (lie  only  rule.     The  creed  ij 


FORMATION   OF   BETHEL   ASSOCIATION.  309 

the  work  of  man  ;  the  Bibli\  of  God  ;  and  as  the  heavens  are  liigher  than 
the  earth,  so  is  the  authority  of  the  Bible  higher  than  that  of  the  creed. 
I  object  not  to  a  creed  as  such.  It  simply  expresses  one's  belief  as  to 
what  the  Bible  teaches,  and  so  far  is  not  objectionable.  All  men  who 
believe  anything  have  a  creed,  either  written  or  unwritten.  The  word 
creed  means  a  belief  Frove  that  my  preaching  is  not  in  accordance 
with  the  Bible,  and  I  submit.  Quote  tln^  Bible,  and  I  listen  with  rever- 
ence ;  but  not  the  creed,  for  the  sake  of  our  holy  religion  and  a  decent 
respect  for  the  common  sense  of  mankind.  I  stand  here  able  to  prove, 
as  I  think,  that  the  doctrinal  views  I  advocate  are  in  accordance  with 
the  sacred  oracles.  That  the  Atonement  is  general  and  unlimited,  suffi- 
cient for  all.  That  salvation  is  ofifered  to  all  who  will  accept  it,  with- 
out money  and  without  price.  That  all  men  are  the  proper  subjects  of 
gospel  address,  and  that  the  gospel  is  indeed  the  power  of  God  unto  sal- 
vation to  every  one  that  believeth." 

The  victory,  so  to  speak,  Wcos  now  won.  When  the 
scene  shifted  from  the  creed  to  the  Bible  it  was  decisive. 
There  was  no  one  willing  to  meet  him  there,  for  few  had 
studied  it  as  he  had  done. 

One  of  his  friends,  whom  I  mainly  follow  on  this  subject, 
says: 

"  Never  did  he  display  a  loftier  moral  courage  than  on  this  occasion. 
His  opponents  were  taken  by  surprise.  They  expected  to  make  it  appear 
that  his  preaching  conflicted  with  the  '  Abstract  of  Principles;'  but 
when  he  took  his  stand  on  the  capital  truth  announced  in  the  first  ar- 
ticle, it  threw  them  into  an  embarrassment  from  which  they  could  not 
recover.  They  were  afraid  to  meet  him  in  argument  if  the  Bible  alone 
was  to  be  appealed  to.  He  presented  his  views,  and  sustained  them  by 
the  word  of  God. 

"  His  opponents  now  proposed  that  the  whole  subject  be  dropped,  and 
that  they  should  live  in  peace.  This  was  agreed  to.  But  when  the  As- 
sociation met  next  year,  there  was  no  peace,  but  the  same  collision  in 
doctrinal  sentiments.  Elder  Ross  now  proposed  in  '  Committee  of  Ar- 
rangements,' a  peaceable  division  of  the  A.ssociation.  *  *  * 
The  recommendation  of  the  Committee  was  adopted  by  the  Association, 
and  the  body  wa.s  divided. 

"  The  division  was  nearly  equal  in  numbers,  though  a  majority  of  the 
churches  remained  in  the  lied  River  Association.     Those  who  withdrew 

14* 


310  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

from  the  body,  recommended  to  the  churches  of  which  they  were  mem- 
bers to  send  messengers  to  meet  at  Mount  Gilead  (now  Allensville),  with 
a  view  to  the  formation  of  a  new  Association.  The  recommendation 
being  carried  out,  the  Convention  met  October  28th,  1825,  and  organized 
a  new  Association  which  was  styled,  and  is  yet  styled,  Bethel. 

"  The  cluuxhes  entering  into  the  organization  were  the  following  :  Red 
River,  Spring  Creek,  Drake's  Pond,  Mt.  Gilead,  Bethel,  Little  West  Fork, 
llopkinsville  [then  called  New  Providence],  and  Pleasant  Grove.  The 
three  following  churches  were  received  by  petition  afterwards — Elkton, 
Lebanon,  and  Mount  Zion. 

"As  soon  as  it  was  resolved  to  form  a  new  Association,  the  messengers 
from  Union  and  Russellville  withdrew.  They  were  in  favor  of  a  different 
policy.  They  wished  the  Red  River  Association  to  remain  undivided 
and  still  hoped  that  peace  might  be  restored.  It  is  proper  to  say  that 
these  two  churches,  not  many  years  after,  united  with  the  Bethel  Asso- 
ciation, Russellville,  in  1828,  and  Union  in  1830." 

After  the  division  was  agreed  upon,  it  was  carried  out 
in  a  way  highly  creditable  to  both  parties,  as  the  following, 
extracted  from  the  minutes  of  the  nineteenth  session  of 
Red  Eiver  Association,  will  show  : 

"  The  Association  agrees  to  divide,  as  recommended  in  the  report  of 
the  committee,  as  follows  :  We  recommend  that  the  Association  be  di- 
vided into  two  Associations.     The  upper  district  to  be  called  the  Red 

River  Association ;  the  lower  one   to  be  called ,  giving  each 

and  every  church  in  each  district  choice  as  to  which  Association  it  will 
join  and  live  in.  And  further,  if  this  plan  should  be  adopted,  we  re- 
commend to  the  Association  to  advise  the  churches,  if  any  member  or 
members  should  be  dissatisfied  on  conscientious  sentiments  of  religion, 
to  give  them  letters  of  dismission  to  join  any  church  in  either  Associa- 
tion. 

"  Resolved,  That  we  recommend  the  above  advice  to  the  Churches. 

"  Resolved,  That  all  the  delegates  from  the  churches  who  feel  them- 
selves now  authorized  to  unite  with  the  lower  Association  [Bethel],  enter 
into  the  house  and  appoint  the  time  and  place  when  and  where  they 
will  meet  to  organize  and  name  such  Association  ;  and  that  those  who 
wish  to  unite  with  said  lower  Apsociation  are  requested  to  meet  at  Mount- 
Gilead  by  their  messengers  on  Friday  before  the  fifth  Lord's  Day  in  Oc- 
tober next,  agreeable  to  this  resolution.     Of  those  who  feel  themselves 


FORMATION   OF    BETHEL   ASSOCIATION.  311 

authorized  to  form  said  lowor  Association,  it  is  requested  that  each  send 
three  messengers.  Elder  William  Tandy  is  requested  to  preach  the  In- 
troductory Sermon. 

"  Resolved,  That  our  Treasurer,  after  paying  the  expenses  of  this  As- 
sociation, divide  the  balance  of  the  money  between  the  two  Associations, 
having  respect  to  the  number  of  churches  in  each." 

Thus,  nineteen  years  after  its  organization,  the  old  Red 
River  Association,  which  so  long  represented  all  of  Baptist 
sentiment  in  this  portion  of  the  country,  was,  for  satisfac- 
tory reasons,  divided. 

At  the  formation  of  Bethel  Association  it  consisted  of 
eight  churches,  as  already  stated,  and  about  seven  hundred 
members.  Before  your  grandfather's  death,  there  were 
sixty-two  churches  and  more  than  seven  thousand  mem- 
bers !  This,  too,  notwithstanding  the  numbers  that  left  it 
and  joined  what  is  now  called  the  "  Christian  Church." 
This  high  success  cheered  him  in  his  declining  years — a 
proof,  he  thought,  that  his  labors  and  those  of  his  brethren 
had  not  been  in  vain.  It  was  now  a  power  in  the  beau- 
tiful country  over  which  its  churches  were  spread,  destined, 
as  he  fondly  hoped,  to  be  a  blessing  to  generations  in  the 
for  distant  future. 

Of  all  the  ministers  who  met  in  the  Convention  at  Mount 
Gilead,  not  one  is  now  living ;  and  of  the  delegates,  since 
the  recent  death  of  the  venerable  D.  J.  Burks,  only  one  is 
left,  A.  G.  Slaughter,  of  Hopkinsville,  Kentucky,  an  intimate 
and  long-cherished  friend  of  your  grandfather,  who,  as  you 
may  remember,  stood  near  his  grave  at  his  burial  in  I860.* 
Thus  the  stream  of  time,  on  its  mighty  but  silent  current, 
bears  away  the  generations  of  men. 

You  will  see  by  my  quotations  how  much  I  am  indebted 
to  the  Funeral  Discourse  by  Rev.  J.  M.  Pendleton,  in  the 
"  Southern  Baptist  Review,"  September,  1860. 
*  Since  dead. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

MORE  CHANGES — SKETCH  OF  ROBERT  RUTHERFORD. 

After  the  formation  of  Bethel  Association  in  1825,  it 
continued  to  grow  and  flourish  for  a  number  of  years 
under  the  labors  of  its  pious  and  influential  ministry. 
And  as  I  remember  to  have  seen  them  all  and  to  have 
heard  them  preach  frequently,  I  propose  giving  you  briefly 
the  impression  left  on  my  mind  in  regard  to  them  as  re- 
spects their  character  and  style  of  preaching. 

But  before  doing  this,  in  order  to  keep  you  advised  of 
our  family  history,  I  must  inform  you  that  in  1824  your 
grandfather  sold  the  tract  of  land  on  which  we  had  lived 
the  ten  or  twelve  years  preceding,  and  removed  to  the 
place  he  called  Cedar  Hill,  some  ten  or  twelve  miles  farther 
east,  but  still  in  Montgomery  County. 

He  had  become  convinced  by  sad  experience  that  the  I 
place  was  unhealthy,  or  this,  together  with  the  belief  that 
he  would  never  be  able  to  procure  water  on  it  by  digging! 
wells,  was  his  chief  inducement  to  leave  it.     You  will  re-j 
member  that  cisterns  had  not  then  come  into  use. 

This  new  home  lay  on  the  north  side  of  Spring  Creek, ' 
which  you,  when  a  little  child,  used  to  call  Grandma's 
Creek,  in  which  you  loved  to  wade  and  dabble  so  well. 
From  a  mass  of  rocks  on  the  north  side  of  the  creek,  where 
also  was  the  house,  issues  the  small  spring  of  pure  cold 
312 


I 


MORE    CHANGES — SKETCH  OF  ROBERT  RUTHERFORD.      313 

water,  so  liighly  prized  by  him  after  having  UveJ  so  long 
without  this  great  luxur3^ 

The  old  house,  as  you  remember,  stands  on  an  elevation 
overlooking  the  creek,  which  is  here  bordered  by  cedar 
trees.  Its  name  was  suggested  by  the  hill  and  the  cedars 
growing  on  it.  Here  he  lived  about  thirty-two  years ;  and 
to  it  was  more  attached  than  to  any  place  he  had  ever 
owned.  I  need  not  describe  to  you  the  fine  old  oaks,  inter- 
spersed with  the  sugar- maple,  mulberry,  and  other  trees, 
that  surrounded  it,  or  the  deep  verdure  of  grass  growing 
under  them.  It  wa.s  a  pretty  place  when  you  last  saw  it, 
is  so  still,  and  there  is  reason  to  believe  it  will  long  so  con- 
tinue, since  it  has  great  natural  beauty  and  has  come  into 
the  possession  of  a  family  of  taste  and  refinement  who  can 
appreciate  it. 

The  house  was  built  by  your  grandfather,  assisted  by 
the  neighbors,  who  were  little  less  interested  in  the  work 
than  himself,  so  much  were  they  pleased  to  have  him 
among  them.  Here  he  lived  till  age  and  infirmity  made 
it  necessary  for  him  to  leave  it,  and  live  with  some  one  of 
his  children.  His  intention  at  first,  you  may  remember, 
was  to  live  with  me,  but  he  finally  decided  to  make  his 
home  in  the  family  of  your  aunt  Nancy  Morrison,  near 
Pembroke,  Christian  County,  Kentucky.  His  desire  to  be 
among  his  brethren  of  the  Bethel  Church  and  the  people 
of  that  community,  for  whom  he  always  retained  a  particu- 
lar attachment,  decided  him  to  make  his  home  there. 

After  this  digression,  I  continue  my  reminiscences 
of  the  preachers  of  the  Bethel  Association  as  proposed. 

As  Elders  Fort,  Tandy,  and  Bourne,  have  already  been 
mentioned  I  will  next  speak  of  Elder  Robert  Ruther- 
ford. 


314  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

He  was  born  near  Jedburgh,  Scotland,  in  1785.  This 
place,  famous  for  its  ancient  monastery,  and  for  the  school 
in  which  Thomson,  the  poet,  was  educated,  is  situated 
about  thirty-six  miles  southeast  of  Edinburgh ;  near  the 
Cheviot  Hills. 

He  left  England  in  1816  for  the  United  States,  and  in 
1818  or  1819,  came  to  Russellville,  Kentucky,  where,  be- 
ing a  tailor  by  trade,  he  worked  some  time  at  that  busi- 
ness. I  regret  not  being  able  to  give  you  some  account 
of  his  history,  as  it  would  no  doubt  be  very  interesting. 

As  a  man  and  a  Baptist  preacher  he  was  so  prepossess- 
ing that  he  soon  won  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  the 
whole  brotherhood,  and  of  none  more  than  of  your  grand- 
father, who  soon  came  to  love  him  as  a  brother,  and,  like] 
Paul  and  Barnabas,  they  traveled  and  preached  together 
for  many  years  among  the  churches  of  Bethel  Association.] 

In    1833,  when   your    grandfather   visited  his  nativel 
State,  Elder  Rutherford   accompanied  him,  and  became] 
greatly  endeared  to  him  by  his  kindness  during  the  jour- 
ney.    They  left  home,  in  the  month  of  November,  intend- 
ing to  spend  the  winter  in  North  Carolina,  preaching  tc 
the  people  and  visiting  old  friends  and  localities  interest-] 
ing  to  him  on  account  of  early  jussociations,  and  returning] 
home  the  next  spring.      His  brother  James,  then  an  old] 
man,  and  his  youngest  sister  Elizabeth  were  still  living;! 
the  former  in  Bertie,  the  latter,  in  Martin  County.    These] 
he  greatly  desired  to  see  once  more,  and  to  visit  again] 
and  for  the  last  time  the  crraves  of  his  father  and  mother! 
which  he  had  left  behind  twenty-six  years  before. 

The  weather  soon  after  they  left  became  very  inclement,] 
and  in  crossing  the  mountains  your  grandfather  took  a] 
deep  cold,  so  that'when  he  reached  the  end  of  his  journeyi 


MORE  CHANGES — SKETCH  OF  ROBERT  RUTHERFORD.    315 

ho  was  quite  ill.  This  deranged  all  their  plans  and 
brought  on  a  depression  of  spirits  from  which  he  could  not 
rally.  This  was  increased  when  he  noticed  the  changes 
that  had  taken  place.  Nearly  all  whom  he  wished  to  see 
were  either  dead  or  had  removed  to  distant  States  as  he 
had  done,  some  to  Kentucky,  some  to  Tennessee,  and 
others  again  to  Alabama  or  Mississippi. 

A  singular  illusion,  too,  which  he  attributed  to  the  state 
of  his  health,  took  possession  of  his  mind.  The  very  face 
of  the  country  seemed  to  have  undergone  a  great  change. 
Where  he  thought  there  had  been  little  hills  or  elevations 
there  were  none.  The  ground  on  which  his  father's  house 
had  stood,  and  which  he  remembered  as  being  somewhat 
elevated  was  now  a  dead  level.  One  thing  and  one  only 
seemed  unchanged,  the  beautiful  Eoanoke,  on  whose  sur- 
face he  had  sported  in  his  boyhood  and  youth,  still  swept 
along  its  sandy  shores. 

Finding  he  had  contracted  a  slow  fever,  and  believing  if 
he  remained  there,  he  would  not  recover,  he  stayed  a  short 
time  with  his  brother  and  sister,  and  preached  a  few  dis- 
courses only,  and  then  bade  them  adieu,  and  turned  his 
face  homeward.  To  our  amazement,  in  the  middle  of  Jan- 
uary, when  we  thought  they  were  in  Carolina  safe  among 
their  friends,  they  rode  into  the  yard  and  dismounted. 

He  was  so  changed  by  fatigue  and  sickness  that  we 
hardly  knew  him,  and  he  always  afterwards  seemed  to 
think  of  his  journey  with  a  sort  of  horror.  No  one  could 
have  been  more  grateful  for  the  kindness  and  sympathy 
of  his  friend  during  this  long  and  weary  journey  than  he 
was. 

I  remember  to  have  heard  him,  after  his  return,  men- 
tion a  few  incidents  that  occurred.     One  was  the  beauti- 


316  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

ful  meteoric  display  of  what  was  called  the  "  falling  stars" 
on  the  13th  of  November  while  they  were  among  the 
mountains  of  Tennessee.  This  he  described  as  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  sights  he  had  ever  seen.  They  fell  thick 
all  around  from  the  upper  regions  of  the  atmosphere  in 
large  flecks  of  snowy  whiteness,  and  from  a  cloudless  sky. 

He  spoke  also  of  the  deep  emotion  manifested  by  Elder 
Rutherford,  when  gazing  upon  the  sublime  mountain 
scenery  often  presented  to  view  ;  he  would  stop  in  the  road 
at  certain  points,  and,  sitting  on  his  horse,  survey  in  the 
distance  mountains  piled  on  mountains,  lost  in  admiration 
of  the  beauty  and  grandeur  of  the  scene.  Did  they  bring 
to  his  mind  the  gray,  historic  mountains  of  his  native 
land? 

I  heard  him  more  than  once  speak  of  a  little  incident 
that  occurred  near  Chapel  Hill,  where  is  the  famous  Uni- 
versity of  North  Carolina,  of  which  he  always  seemed  to 
think  with  interest  and  pleasure.  Here  they  stayed  all 
night,  and  were  put  into  a  room  to  sleep  where  were 
several  beds.  Soon  after  they,  weary  with  their  day's 
travel,  had  lain  down  to  rest,  two  little  boys  who  were 
there  at  school  came  into  the  room,  and,  after  they  had 
undressed,  knelt  down  by  their  bedside,  placed  their  hands 
together,  palm  to  palm,  and  repeated  their  prayers ;  then 
lay  down  and  fell  asleep.  He  could  but  invoke  a  blessing 
on  them  as  they  lay  in  their  peaceful  slumber. 

Elder  Rutherford,  being  skillful  with  the  needle,  made 
up  all  his  own  clothing,  even  his  shirts.  The  sisters  com- 
plained of  him  for  this,  and  would  most  cheerfully  have 
done  all  his  sewing  for  him  had  he  permitted  them.  Some- 
times, when  he  had  clothes  to  make  or  repair,  he  came  to 
your  grantlfather's  and  remained  several  weeks,  sewing. 


MORE  CHANGES— SKETCH  OF  ROBERT  RUTHERFORD.    317 

reading,  and  conversing  alternately.  In  his  intercourse 
with  the  family  he  was  very  pleasant  and  cheerful,  and 
when  I  happened  to  be  at  home  from  school,  during  his 
visits,  I  enjoyed  his  society  very  much.  Seeing  him  at 
work  one  day  on  a  pair  of  trowsors,  he  af)pcared  to  get  on 
with  them  so  easily,  I  thought  I  could  make  a  pair,  too, 
and  went  to  your  grandmother  for  the  cloth.  She  gave  it 
to  me,  and  he  cut  them  out  and  showed  me  how  to  put 
them  together.  I  took  a  seat  by  him,  and  we  talked  and 
sewed  away  like  two  tailors  for  some  time.  The  next  day 
I  finished  them  except  the  button-holes,  and  commenced 
on  them.  On  finishing  one,  I  thought  it  had  rather  a  queer 
look.  It  was  perfectly  round,  and  such  edges  !  I  thought 
I  h;id  better  show  it  to  him  before  beginning  another,  and 
carried  it  to  him  for  that  purpose.  On  seeing  it  he 
dropped  his  work,  put  both  hands  to  his  face  and  laughed 
until  the  tears  ran  down  his  cheeks.  I  was  rather  discon- 
certed, for  though  I  did  not  think  myself  it  had  the  right 
look,  I  had  no  idea  it  was  so  bad  as  that.  It  was  some 
time  before  he  became  composed.  When  he  did  he  made 
mo  pick  out  all  the  stitches  and  work  it  over  again.  When 
finishpd,  he  pressed  them  for  me,  made  me  put  them  on, 
and  said  :  "  they  did  very  well,  considering." 

On  asking  him  one  day  when  we  were  talking  of  Scot- 
land and  Burns,  which  of  his  songs  he  thought  most  beau- 
tiful, he  answered  without  hesitation  :  "  Of  a'  the  Airts 
the  wind  can  blaw."  On  turning  to  the  book  and  reading 
it,  I  thought  he  could  npt  be  far  wrong.     It  ran  thus: 

"  Of  a'  the  airts  the  wind  can  blaw, 

I  dearly  like  the  west, 
For  there  the  bonnie  lassie  lives, 

The  lassie  I  lo'e  best. 


318  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

There  wild  woods  grow  and  rivers  row, 

And  mony  a  hill  between  ; 
But  day  and  night  ray  fancy's  flight, 

Is  ever  wi'  my  Jean. 

I  see  her  in  the  dewy  flowers, 

I  see  her  sweet  and  fair  ; 
I  hear  her  in  the  tunefu'  birds. 

I  hear  her  charm  the  air. 

There's  not  a  bonnie  flower  that  springs 

By  fountain,  shaw,  or  green. 
There's  not  a  bonnie  bird  that  sings. 

But  minds  me  o'  my  Jean.'' 

This  set  my  fancy  at  work,  and  I  soon  made  out  a  sad, 
romantic  story.  He  had  been  in  love  that  was  certain. 
And  this  beautiful  song,  in  his  mind  was  associated  with 
some  fair  Scottish  maid,  who  had  either  died  or  marriedj 
another,  I  could  not  tell  which.  After  this  there  was  no 
place  left  for  another  love.  Then  bidding  adieu  to  his  I 
native  land  where  all  his  young  hopes  lay  buried,  he  crossed 
the  stormy  seas.     It  was  distressing  to  think  of  it. 

He  made  his  home  with  Mr.  William  Dickinson,  who 
lived  in  Christian  County,  Kentucky.  Here  he  lived 
about  twenty  years,  I  think.  Mr.  Dickinson  and  his 
wife  were  kind-hearted,  friendly  people  who  had  no  child- 
ren, and  were  members  of  the  ''Christian  Church,"] 
while  Elder  Rutherford  was  a  thorough  Baptist  in  princi-' 
pie  ;  yet  such  was  the  Christian  charity  of  these  excellent 
men,  that  no  abatement  of  friendship  and  esteem  was  ever 
felt. 

Elder  Eutherford  was  a  zealous,  earnest,  and  impressive 
preacher.     He  studied  the  Bible  much,  and  his  knowledge! 
of  its  teachinscs  was  thous-ht  to  be  both  extensive  and  ac- 


MORE  CHANGES — SKETCH  OF  ROBERT  RUTHERFORD.    319 

curate.  His  memory  was  stored  with  numberless  beauti- 
ful passages  which  he  used  as  gems  to  adorn  his  sermons. 
He  spoke  with  ease,  and  his  rich  native  brogue  was  very 
pleasant  to  the  ear.  His  countenance  while  speaking 
beamed  with  love  and  good  will  to  all  mankind,  and  all 
were  delighted  to  see  him  rise  in  the  pulpit  to  address 
them.  I  doubt  if  a  purer  man  ever  lived  among  us  ;  or  if 
there  was  in  all  his  acquaintance  an  individual  who  did 
not  love  and  esteem  him.  For  many  years  he  was  the 
beloved  pastor  of  Mount  Zion  and  Salem  churches.  He 
and  your  grandfather  preached  much  together,  not  among 
the  neighboring  churches  only,  but  in  distant  localities 
which  were  destitute  of  religious  instruction. 

But  at  length  the  work  assigned  him  by  his  Master  was 
finished.  Being  on  his  way  to  the  Concord  Association, 
he  was  prostrated  by  an  attack  of  congestive  fever  at 
Springfield,  Robertson  County,  Tennessee.  There,  after  a 
few  days'  illness,  he  died.  Those  who  stood  near  him  in 
his  last  moments  remember  to  have  heard  him  more  than 
once  repeat,  in  a  low  tone,  the  word  :  ''  Victory."  Yes ; 
the  battle  had  been  fought,  the  victory  won. 

He  died  on  September  12,  1841,  in  the  fifty-sixth  year 
of  his  age.  His  grave  may  be  seen  where  he  died,  far 
from  his  early  home  and  the  land  of  his  fathers,  but  among 
a  people  and  a  brotherhood  in  whose  memory  his  name 
and  his  virtues  remain  embalmed. 

He  was  about  the  medium  height  and  well  formed.  His 
complexion  was  generally  fresh  and  healthy,  but  some- 
times a  little  pale.  His  general  appearance  was  serious 
and  thoughtful,  though  in  the  social  circle  he  was  quite 
talkative,  very  polite  and  affectionate,  and  extremely  fond 
of  an  innocent  joke.  His  manners  were  dignified  and  easy. 


320  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

Since  writing  the  above,  I  have  seen  an  obituary  of 
Elder  Rutherford,  written  by  Elder  Robert  Williams. 
It  is  so  appropriate  and  interesting,  I  know3'ou  will  read 
with  pleasure  the  following  extract : 

"  Elder  Rutherford  was  born  in  Scotland,  but  I  know  nothing  of  liis 
history  before  his  coming  to  this  country,  eighteen  or  twenty  years  ago. 
From  that  time  he  has  been  a  useful  and  able  minister  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament, as  well  as  a  pious  and  devoted  Christian.  Our  lamented  brother 
was  universally  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him  for  his  puritj^  and  amiable 
disposition,  and  was  very  remarkable  for  his  prudence.  I  have  known 
him  for  the  last  fifteen  years,  but  never  heard  any  one  say  he  had  acted 
imprudently  in  anything.  Indeed,  all  who  saw  him  might  have  said  : 
'  Behold  an  Israelite,  indeed,  in  whom  there  is  no  guile.'  He  was  one 
of  the  most  evangelical  preachers  in  the  land,  and  all  were  much  edified 
and  delighted  with  his  sermons,  which  were  but  a  tissue  of  Bible 
thought.  When  preaching  he  manifested  great  earnestness  and  great 
affection  for  his  congregations.  The  goodness  of  God  and  his  love  mani- 
fested for  a  lost  world,  together  with  the  practical  duties  of  religion, 
were  the  themes  on  which  he  delighted  to  dwell." 

But  I  need  not  attempt  to  describe  him.  His  character 
is  too  well  known.  His  praise  is  in  all  the  churches,  and  ' 
he  yet  lives  in  the  memory  of  his  brethren,  and  will  long 
continue  to  do  so.  His  death  was  such  as  might  have 
been  expected.  "  Mark  the  perfect  man  and  behold  the 
upright,  for  the  end  of  that  man  is  peace," 

From  the  commencement  of  his  illness  he  express^ 
entire  resignation  to  the  will  of  God  concerning  life  or 
death.  He  said  to  a  brother :  "  I  shall  not  rise  from 
here;  but  I  have  a  desire  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ." 


I 


CIIArTEE,   XXXII. 

SKETCHES   OF   ELDERS. 

Elder  William  Warder,  if  I  remember  correctly, 
was  a  little  above  medium  height,  of  a  frame  rather  spare 
and  delicatf,  with  a  mild  and  prepossessing  countenance. 
When  he  rose  in  the  pulpit  to  speak  all  soon  became  fully- 
impressed  with  the  belief  that  he  felt  a  deep  interest  in 
their  spiritual  welfare.  Notwithstanding  his  emotional 
nature,  he  was  a  close  and  logical  reasoner,  and  very  soon 
fi-\ed  the  attention  of  his  audience  by  the  strength  and 
force  of  his  arguments. 

He  often  traveled  and  preached  in  company  with  Elders 
Isaac  Hodgen  and  Jeremiah  Vardeman,  two  distinguished 
Baptist  preachers  from  upper  Kentucky.  They  held  the 
same  doctrinal  views  as  did  the  Baptists  of  Bethel  Associa- 
tion, and  sometimes  visited  their  brethren  in  the  Green 
Kiver  country  and  preached  among  them.  No  church  in 
those  days  was  large  enough  to  hold  the  immense  crowds 
that  would  assemble  to  hear  them.  In  summer  they  col- 
lected under  the  trees  and  covered,  as  it  seemed  to  me, 
whole  acres  of  ground. 

Elder  Vardeman,  I  thought  then  and  still  think,  was 
among  the  most  eloquent  speakers  I  ever  heard.  His  face 
was  large  and  handsome,  his  head  massive,  sitting  finely 
on  his  shoulders,  his  height  six  feet,  and  his  weight  over 
three  hundred  pounds.  A  noble  specimen  of  the  Ken- 
tuckian  of  those  days. 

321 


322  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

The  earliest  glimpse  we  have  of  him  may  be  seen  in  the 
life  of  Elder  John  Smith,  that  famous  old  hardshell  Bap- 
tist, who  afterwards  joined  the  "  Christian  Church,"  and 
according  to  President  William,  his  biographes,  whipped 
out  nearly  everything  in  upper  Kentucky  that  encount- 
ered him  during  the  religious  wars  of  that  period. 

It  is  stated  that  in  the  early  setlement  of  Kentucky, 
having  been  sent  by  his  father  to  a  mill  about  one  hun- 
dred miles  distant,  to  procure  a  little  seed  corn,  on  arriving 
there  he  heard  the  lively  strains  of  a  violin,  and  the  nimble 
feet  of  dancers  on  a  puncheon  floor  in  a  house  near  by. 
He  approached  it  and  saw  the  fiddler  himself,  the  most 
conspicuous  figure  in  the  merry  group,  "  a  young  man  of 
fine  face  and  form,  dressed  in  a  gay  coat  and  yellow  velvet 
trousers."  This  was  young  Jeremiah  Vardeman,  after- 
wards one  of  the  most  distinguished  pulpit  orators  of  his 
day  in  Kentucky. 

This  was  perhaps  about  the  time  your  grandfather,  on 
the  other  side  of  the  mountains,  was  leaving  home  at  night 
and  attending  similar  frolics  to  the  great  unhappiness  of 
his  parents.  Verily  it  is  difficult  to  tell  where  the  youth 
of  eighteen  or  twenty,  full  of  life  and  gayety,  will  be 
found  twenty  or  thirty  years  hence.  Other  thoughts  after 
this  took  possession  of  young  Vardeman's  mind  which  led 
him  to  high  distinction  among  the  people  as  a  preacher. 

When  he  arose  to  speak  in  the  midst  of  a  vast  assem- 
blage the  hum  of  voices  soon  died  away.  At  the  first  he 
would  speak  in  a  low,  but  very  distinct  tone,  and  to  my 
fancy  had  the  appearance,  for  some  moments,  of  one  con- 
templating some  distant  object.  Gradually  his  voice, 
which  was  rich  and  powerful,  became  more  and  more  ele- 
vated in  its  tones,  his  attitude  more  and  more  command- 


SKETCHES   OF   ELDERS.  323 

ing,  and  his  words  and  sentences  fell  with  greater  emphasis 
and  power,  until  finally  his  oratory,  like  an  inundation, 
would  sweep  over  his  audience  and  seem  to  amaze,  aston- 
ish, and  bewilder  it.  For  me,  after  hearing  Elder  Varde- 
man  preach,  I  never  doubted  the  effect  Paul's  discourse 
is  said  to  have  had  on  Felix  the  imperial  governor  of 
Judaea ;  or  Cicero's  on  the  great  Roman  Dictator,  or 
Sheridan's  on  the  British  House  of  Commons  in  the  trial 
of  Warren  Hastings. 

These  were  the  palmy  days  of  eloquence  in  Kentucky. 
Not  only  the  pulpit,  but  the  bar,  the  forum,  and  the  na- 
tional councils  were  illustrated  by  it — the  days  of  Clay, 
Barry,  Crittenden,  Pope,  Rowan,  and  others.  Strange,  is 
it  not,  that  poetry  and  eloquence  will  rise  and  flourish  at 
certain  periods  in  such  perfection,  and  then  fall  into  neglect 
and  comparative  decay  ? 

Thinking  that  perhaps,  being  young,  I  might  have 
formed  exaggerated  notions  of  the  eft'ects  of  Elder  Varde- 
man's  preaching,  I  have  inquired  of  others  since,  and  par- 
ticularly of  one  who  was  born  and  brought  up  near  where 
he  lived  in  Kentucky,  attended  his  church,  knew  him  well, 
and  often  witnessed  the  effects  of  his  preaching.  He  fully 
confirmed  the  truth  of  my  early  impressions.  From  his 
description  of  what  he  had  seen  and  heard,  one  would  be 
forcibly  reminded  of  the  days  of  Whitefield  and  the  Wes- 
leys. 

Elder  Vardeman,  however,  lived  to  see  his  usefulness 
and  influence  greatly  impaired.  When  the  doctrines  of 
the  "  Current  Reformation  "  were  first  presented  to  the 
people  by  Elder  Campbell,  he  adopted  them  to  some  ex- 
tent ;  but  when  he  saw  their  tendency  more  fully,  he  re- 
traced his  steps.     Thus  he  lost  favor  with  the  new  party, 


324  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

and,  at  the  same  time,  with  the  old  brotherhood.  This 
involved  him  in  trouble  and  perplexity  and  he  determined 
to  leave  the  theatre  of  his  brilliant  success  in  former  years 
and  remove  to  Missouri.  He  accordingly  sold  his  Ken- 
tucky home,  settled  in  that  State,  and  soon  after  died, 
affording  a  melancholy  example  of  the  vicissitudes  of  hu- 
man life.  It  is  probable  the  troubled  condition  of  the 
churches  he  so  much  loved  during  the  upheaval  caused  by 
the  Reformation  under  Alexander  Campbell,  contributed 
to  his  untimely  death. 

Elder  Warder,  accompanied  by  Elder  Isaac  Hodgen, 
visited  Virginia  on  a  preaching  tour  in  1817,  and  I  have 
heard  that  their  success  was  great  beyond  their  expecta- 
tions. The  Virginia  Baptists  were  delighted  with  this 
visit  from  their  western  brethren ;  religion  was  revived 
among  them,  and  great  numbers  added  to  the  churches 
where  they  preached.* 

He  was  for  many  years  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  at 
Russellville,  Kentucky,  near  which  place  he  lived.  To 
this  church,  and  to  the  sister  churches  in  the  surrounding 
country  he  delighted  to  preach,  and  of  no  one  could  it  be 
said  with  more  truth  that,  like  Paul,  he  "  warned  every 
one  night  and  day  with  tears,"  until  removed  to  a  higher 
and  nobler  sphere. 

On  account  of  the  purity  of  his  life  and  his  beautiful 
Christian  character  he  will  be  held  in  affectionate  and  lasti 
ing  remembrance  by  the  churches  of  Bethel  Association^ 

*  These  two  able  ministers  attended  the  Old  Triennial  Convention  fo| 
Foreign  Missions,  which  met  in  Philadelphia  in  1817.     On  their  wat 
home,  they  preached  for  some  time  in  Virginia,  and  there  was  a  remarl 
able  revival  of  religion  under  their  labors.     No  doubt  there  are  now 
few  living  in  Virginia  who  remember  that  year  as  one  of  "  the  years 
the  right  hand  of  the  Most  High."  J.  M.  P. 


SKETCHES   OF    ELDERS.  325 

ElJor  Warder  Wcos  born  June  8,  1786,  and  died  Au- 
gust 9,  1836,  in  the  fiftieth  year  of  his  age.  His  grave 
may  be  seen  in  the  Baptist  cemetery  at  Russell villo.  On 
the  stone  that  marks  his  last  resting  place  these  words 
are  written  : 

"  In  the  days  of  liis  youth  he  became  pious,  and  devoted  himself  to 
the  ministry  of  the  gospel.  In  the  thirty-sixth  year  of  his  age  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Margaret  Morehead.  He  was  a  kind  Ima- 
band  and  fond  father.  Before  his  God,  he  walked  humbly  ;  before 
man,  uprightly." 

Elder  John  S.  Wilson  was  born  in  Franklin  County, 
Kentucky,  July  3,  1795.  Much  care  is  said  to  have  been 
taken  with  his  early  religious  education  by  his  pious  and 
excellent  mother,  and  he  remained  under  its  influence  until 
about  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  religious  restraint  be- 
came irksome  to  him,  and  he  finally  threw  it  off  altogether, 
and  became  thoughtless  and  wicked. 

At  length  in  the  eighteenth  year  of  his  age,  under  the 
preaching  of  Elder  Isaac  Hodgen,  he  was  converted,  and 
baptized  at  Mount  Gilead  Church,  Adair  County,  Ken- 
tucky, of  which  he  became  a  member.  In  the  twenty-third 
vear  of  his  as:;e,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Martha  Was:- 
gener,  whom  I  have  often  heard  spoken  of  as  being  a  most 
estimable  lady.  She  was  a  first  cousin  of  your  uncle, 
S.  T.  Waggener  of  Russellville,  Kentucky.  In  the  year 
1822,  in  the  twenty-seventh  year  of  his  age,  he  was  led 
to  believe  that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach  the  gospel,  and 
would  often  engage  in  exhortaiion  and  prayer.  The 
church,  being  pleased  with  his  promise  of  usefulness, 
granted  him  license  and  requested  him  to  preach  for  them. 
Soon  after  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  and  received  a 
15 


326  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

call  to  the  pastoral  care  of  the  Lebanon  Church,  Todd 
County,  Kentucky. 

I  may  here  remark  that  opinions  differ  among  the  va- 
rious denominations  of  Christians  in  regard  to  whence  the 
call  to  preach  the  gospel  is  derived.  Some  think  it  comes 
directly  from  the  church,  and  that  the  individual  should 
be  prepared  for  ministerial  duties  by  a  course  of  regular 
study,  as  for  the  practice  of  law,  medicine,  or  any  other 
profession.  Others,  and  among  these  the  Baptists,  believe 
the  call  comes  directly  from  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  im- 
presses the  minds  of  some  men  in  a  special  manner  with  a 
belief  that  it  is  their  duty  to  preach  the  gospel ;  and  that 
the  individual  so  impressed  feels  a  desire  above  others, 
for  the  salvation  of  men  and  the  spread  of  the  gospel. 

They  do  not,  however,  undervalue  learning,  study,  and 
general  information.  On  the  contrary,  these  are  held  in] 
high  estimation.  But  the  ability  to  edify  the  church  ;  to] 
expound  the  Sacred  "Writings  by  a  close  personal  study  of 
the  Bible ;  to  awaken  their  fellow-men  to  a  sense  of  the 
value  and  importance  of  religion,  and  to  adorn  the  doc- 
trines they  preach  by  a  pious  life  and  godly  conversa- 
tion,— these  they  value  in  their  preachers  more  than  all 
besides. 

It  is  customary  with  them  when  an  individual  of  the 
church  professes  to  have  the  above-mentioned  impressions 
of  duty,  to  grant  him  a  license  to  preach,  and  then,  if  he 
gives  promise  of  becoming  a  useful  laborer  in  the  vine- 
yard, though  an  humble  one,  to  call  a  presbytery  and  have 
him  solemnly  set  apart  for  the  work  by  the  laying  on  of 
hands  and  prayer. 

This  your  grandfather  considered  one  of  the  most  re- 
sponsible and  important  duties  of   the  churches,  as  the 


SKETCHES   OF    ELDERS.  327 

c<ause  of  religion  depended  much  on  the  evangelical  char- 
acter and  zeal  of  those  sent  out  to  publish  the  glad  tidings. 
And  he  often  took  for  his  text,  when  preaching  ordination 
sermons,  1  Tim.  5  :  22  :  "  Lay  hands  suddenly  on  no  man, 
neither  be  partaker  of  other  men's  sins."  That  is  to  say, 
by  putting  them  in  a  position  to  injure  the  cause  of  reli- 
gion, and  by  inattention  to  the  lives  and  characters  of  the 
candidates  - 

It  was  while  he  was  pastor  of  the  Lebanon  Church  that 
I  first  saw  Elder  Wilson  and  heard  him  preach  in  the  old 
brick  church  that  had  been  built  by  Elder  Finis  Ewing 
and  his  Cumberland  Presbyterian  brethren.  He  was  a 
man  of  diminutive  stature,  and  apparently  unable,  physi- 
cally, to  perform  the  arduous  duties  assigned  to  him  in 
his  field  of  labor.  Li  argument  he  was  thought  to  be  less 
able  than  others  of  his  brethren  in  the  ministry.  But,  in 
persuasive  eloquence  and  exhortation  he  had  few  equals,  if 
any.  In  his  efforts  of  this  kind,  he  seemed  to  be  able  to 
touch  in  rapid  succession  every  topic  that  could  influence 
men  to  turn  their  thoughts  to  religion.  The  forbearance 
and  long-suffering,  goodness  and  mercy,  of  God  ;  Christ's 
humiliation  and  death,  in  the  great  work  of  redemption ; 
eternal  happiness  and  endless  woe ;  the  grave,  the  resur- 
rection, and  the  final  judgment, — were  the  themes  of  his 
impassioned  appeals. 

He  was,  I  think,  one  of  the  first  of  the  class  of  preach  • 
ers  among  the  Baptists  called  Revivalists.  It  was  some- 
thing new  among  them  to  see  men  singing,  praying,  shak- 
ing hands,  and  exhorting  all  at  the  same  time.  Anxious 
seats  and  mourning  benches  were  hardly  known.  These 
things  seemed  at  first  to  be  out  of  place  and  indigenous  to 
other  soils  and  climates.     Nor  do  they  seem  to  be  at  all 


328  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

needed,  judging  the  future  by  the  past,  which  wise  men 
tell  us  is  all  we  can  do. 

Elder  Wilson  preached  with  success  in  Southern  and 
Central  Kentucky  until  1833,  when  he  was  chosen  as  its 
pastor  by  the  First  Baptist  Church  in  Louisville.  He 
was  one  of  the  leading  spirits  in  the  great  revival  in  and 
near  Shelbyville,  Kentucky,  in  1835,  the  most  consider- 
able ever  known,  perhaps,  in  that  part  of  the  State,  and 
thus  described  by  Elder  George  Waller : 

"  On  the  Friday  before  the  fourth  Lord's  Day  in  May,  1835,  a  meet- 
ing was  convened  at  Shelbyville  by  John  S,  Wilson  and  other  brethren 
in  the  ministry,  most  of  whom  participated  freely  in  the  glorious  work 
which  then  and  there  commenced,  This  meeting  continued  fifteen  days, 
in  which  time  one  hundred  and  one  were  added  to  the  church  in  that 
place  by  baptism. 

"  The  brethren  on  their  way  home  stoppfed  at  Bethel,  five  miles  east 
of  Shelbyville.  Crowds  who  had  been  at  Shelbyville  flocked  to  Bethel, 
and  in  three  or  four  days  seventy  or  eighty  were  received  for  baptismj 
This  church  continued  to  receive  members  till  in  three  months,  one  hun{ 
dred  and  nineteen  were  received  for  baptism.  Buck's  Branch  shared 
lightly,  Dover,  Buck  Creek,  Elk  Creek,  Plum  Creek,  Taylorsville,  and 
Little  Mount,  have  shared  freely  in  this  glorious  revival, 

"  Others  of  us  have  borne  our  humble  part  in  this  good  work.  Among 
the  rest  of  my  brethren  it  has  fallen  to  my  lot  to  baptize  one  hundred 
and  twenty  up  to  this  time.  Upwards  of  eight  hundred  have  beei 
added  to  the  Long  Run  Association  in  the  last  three  months,  and  by  ac 
counts  received  it  is  believed  that  not  less  than  twelve  hundred  are  th^ 
fruits  of  this  glorious  revival,    commencing  at  Shelbyville.  " 

These  were  brilliant  successes ;  but  they  were  Wilson'a 
last.  Like  the  gallant  warrior  he  won  them,  but  fell  ii 
the  achievement.  He  was  taken  severely  ill  at  the  close  o^ 
these  labors,  and  being  conveyed  home  found  that  his  agec 
mother,  whom  he  tenderly  loved,  had  just  breathed  hei 
last.     This  in  his  weak  and  suffering  state,  hastened  hia 


SKETCHES   OF    ELDERS.  329 

end ;  and  be  soon  expired.  His  last  words  were,  "  Mother, 
I  am  coming  after  thee,"  He  was  about  forty  years  of  age 
when  he  died.  He  sleeps  in  the  beautiful  cemetery  of 
Louisville;  a  simple  marble  slab  marking  the  place  where 
he  lies. 

You  have  no  doubt  been  told  that  when  your  beloved 
mother  and  I  were  united  in  marriage  he  performed  the 
marriage  ceremony ;  and,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  we  ever 
afterwards  thought  of  him  with  peculiar  interest  and  re- 
gard. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

SKETCHES  OF  ELDERS    CONTINUED. 

Elder  Egbert  T.  Anderson  was  born  in  the  State  ot 
Virginia,  April  9,  1792,  He  emigrated  to  Green  County, 
Kentucky,  1818,  was  baptized  by  Elder  William  "Warder 
in  1812,  and  became  a  member  of  Mount  Gilead  Church 
in  Adair  County,  where  in  1828  ho  commenced  preaching 
the  gospel. 

He  was  above  medium  height,  well  formed,  with  dark_ 
hair  and  eyes,  a  pleasing  and  cheerful  expression  of  coun- 
tenance ;    and  more  social  and  lively  in  company  than  hiaj 
brother,  Henry  T,  Anderson,  who  was  an  able  advocate  of 
the  Reformation,  and  used  to  preach  for  us  at  the  Oikadel- 
phia  Church. 

Of  him,  Rev.  J.  M.  Pendleton  thus  speaks  : 

He  was  a  man  of  kind  heart  and  excellent  qualities.  lie  was  between 
thirty  and  forty  years  of  age  when  he  began  to  preach  ;  his  time  having 
been  devoted  to  teaching.  Nor  did  he  abandon  the  school  when  he  be- 
came a  preacher.  He  loved  to  preach,  and  though  willing  to  devote 
himself  exclusively  to  the  ministry,  he  found,  after  making  the  exper- 
iment, that  he  and  his  family,  could  not  live  entirely  of  the  gospel. 
Hence,  for  the  greater  part  of  his  ministerial  life,  he  taught  school  five 
days  in  the  week,  preaching  every  Saturday  and  Lord's  Day,  and  fre- 
quently at  night  during  the  week.  He  was  a  laborious  man,  with  a 
large  heart,  and  in  proportion  to  his  means,  he  gave  much  to  objects  of 
benevolence.  His  sermons  were  chiefly  of  the  expository  class,  and 
many  of  his  pulpit  efforts  were  quite  happy.     He  was  a  useful  man, 

330 


SKETCHES  OF   ELDERS   CONTINUED.  331 

anJ  baptized  many  converts,  who  were  the  fruits  of  his  labors,  ami  will 
doubtless  be  j^ems  in  the  crown  of  his  rejoicing.  He  was,  for  a  number 
of  years.  Clerk  of  Bethel  Association. 

He  was  fully  persuaded  for  several  years,  that  lie  had 
discovered  a  method  by  which  deaf  and  dumb  children 
could  be  taught  to  speak  intelligibly.  His  benevolent 
heart  was  much  engrossed  with  this  subject  for  a  time, 
and  he  had  a  number  of  little  boys  under  his  instruction 
and  treatment.  The  public  generally  became  greatly  in- 
terested in  his  scheme,  and  many  thought  it  would  be 
successful.  But  it  proved  otherwise,  greatly  to  his  dis- 
appointment and  regret,  since,  had  it  succeeded,  he  would 
have  been  placed  high  on  the  roll  of  public  benefactors. 

For  several  years  before  his  death,  he  was  much  en- 
gaged in  what,  perhaps,  has  proved  to  be  the  most  un- 
profitable of  all  the  intellectual  labors  of  many  good  men 
— the  interpretation  of  the  dark  prophetic  portions  of  the 
Bible.  It  was  thought  by  some  that  his  mind  became  so 
much  engrossed  by  these  subjects,  that  its  vigor  was  some- 
what impaired. 

When  the  prophet  Daniel  besought  the  angel  that  stood 
upon  the  waters,  to  reveal  to  him  the  meaning  of  his 
vision,  it  was  said  to  him  :  "  Go  thy  way,  Daniel ;  for  the 
words  are  closed  up  and  sealed  till  the  time  of  the  end." 
Are  we  not  admonished  by  this,  not  to  push  our  inquiries 
too  far,  as  many  have  done,  from  the  earliest  times,  and 
involved  themselves  and  their  readers,  in  the  mazes  of 
endless  conjecture  and  doubt,  only  to  learn  when  too  late, 
that  it  all  amounted  to  nothing,  or  worse  than  nothing  ? 
At  the  proper  time  the  veil  will  be  lifted,  and  all  that  is 
now  obscure  will  appear  distinct  and  clear,  "  The  secret 
things  belong  unto  the  Lord  our  God ;  but  the  things  which 


332  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

are  revealed  belonsr  unto  us  and  our  children   for  ever." 
Deuteronomy  29  :  29. 

As  the  poet  Cowper,  has  well  said  : 

"  God  is  his  own  interpreter,  ^ 

And  be  will  make  it  plain."  "^ 

Is  it  not  probable  that  the  chief  advantages  of  the 
prophecies  are  derived  after  their  fulfilment  ?  Then  they 
strike  the  mind  with  great  force,  and  yield  the  most  con- 
vincing proof  of  their  divine  origin, 

"When  the  Jew  before  their  accomplishment,  road  the 
prophecies  contained  in  the  fifty-third  chapter  of  Isaiah, 
what  could  he  understand  of  them  ?  The  most  learned 
Rabbi,  on  undertaking  to  explain  them,  would  have  found 
them  utterly  incomprehensible.  He  never  could  have 
made  them  point  to  the  life,  sufierings,  and  death  of  the 
promised  Messiah.  But  since  their  accomplishment,  all 
•  see  with  amazement  that  the  inspired  prophet,  seven  hun- 
dred years  before,  pointed  out  each  particular,  as  though 
he  had  been  an  eye-witness,  and  in  the  small  space  of  one 
chapter,  of  only  twelve  verses,  has  epitomized  the  gospel. 

In  1830,  Elder  Anderson,  preached  for  the  church  in 
Russellville.  In  1831,  he  settled  near  Pleasant  Grove 
Church,  eight  miles  south  of  Russellville,  of  which  church 
he  became  pastor.  He  was  then  called  successively  to  the 
pastorate  of  Hopewell  Church,  Robertson  County,  Tennes- 
see, in  1832;  of  Keysburg  Church,  in  1834  ;  of  Hopkins- 
ville  Church,  in  1839;  of  Olivet  and  West  Union  Churches, 
in  1840.  He  next  became  pastor  of  Salem  Church,  in 
Christian  County.  Then  he  built  up  Locust  Grove  and 
Pleasant  Grove  Churches,  the  former  in  Christian,  the 
latter  in  Caldwell  County,   Kentucky.     Of  this  last,  and 


SKETCHES  OF   ELDERS  CONTINUED.  333 

Olivet,  he  was  pastor  when  he  died.  The  above  will  show 
how  much  his  ministerial  labors  were  sought  for,  and  how 
active  and  busy  must  have  been  his  life. 

Elder  A.  D.  Sears,  now  of  Clarksville,  Tennessee,  in  an 
interesting  biographical  sketch  of  Elder  Anderson,  to  be 
found  in  the  March  number  of  the  "Christian  Repository" 
for  1859 ,  observes  : 

"  Some  time  last  winter,  the  church  at  Pleasant  Grove,  Caldwell  Coun- 
ty, enjoyed  a  most  interesting  revival.  The  meeting  continued  several 
weeks.  The  cause  seemed  to  demand  of  hira  more  than  usual  exertion. 
He  preached  continuously  through  several  days.  The  weather  being 
inclement,  he  took  a  severe  cold,  which  continued  several  weeks  after 
the  meeting  closed,  and  finally  terminated  in  neuralgia.  This  disease 
first  aflfected  his  right  arm,  gradually  moved  to  his  head,  and  ultimately 
settled  over  his  right  eye  and  terminated  in  apoplexy,  of  which  he  died 
on  the  8th  of  June.  We  are  thus  particular  in  describing  the  disease  of 
which  he  died,  because  a  rumor  went  abroad  that  Elder  Anderson's 
mind  was  affected.  This  is  untrue.  Although  at  times  a  great  sufferer 
for  upwards  of  three  months,  the  native  strength  of  his  intel  ect  re- 
mained unimpaired  until  the  last ;  and  he  was  always  aware  of  his  con- 
dition." 

Thus,  in  the  sixty-third  year  of  his  life,  and  in  the 
twenty-fourth  of  his  ministry,  after  long  suffering,  which 
he  is  said  to  have  borne  with  submissive  resignation,  this 
excellent  man  closed  his  laborious  and  useful  life,  and  en- 
tered into  his  final  rest.  Having  turned  many  to  right- 
eousness, he  will  shine  as  the  stars  forever. 

I  heard  Elder  W.  C,  Warfield  preach,  and  have  seen 
him  occasionally  at  your  grandfather's.  "His  sermons 
were  by  no  means  of  uniform  merit.  Some  of  them  were 
well  prepared,  logical,  eloquent,  and  delivered  with  great 
energy.  Others  betrayed  some  want  of  thorough  prepara- 
tion, and  were  defective  in  methodical  arrangement.    This 

16* 


334  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS- 

was  more  noticed  in  him  than  in  his  co-laborers,  on  ac- 
count of  his  superior  educational  advantages,"  and  because 
he  had  been  a  student  of  Princeton  Theological  Seminary. 
When  his  feelings  became  excited,  as  was  often  the  case  in 
the  close  of  his  sermons,  his  appeals  to  the  impenitent,  in 
referring  to  "  the  terror  of  the  Lord,"  were  striking  spec. 
mens  of  denunciatory  eloquence.  Sometimes,  with  appa- 
rent harshness,  he  admonished  sinners  of  their  danger,  and 
warned  them  "  to  flee  fi'om  the  wrath  to  come."  In  the 
prime  of  life  he  fell  beneath  the  stroke  of  death.  He  was 
born  in  Lexington  in  1796,  and  died  at  the  residence  of 
Elder  William  Tandy  in  Christian  County,  Kentucky,  No- 
vember, 1835. 

Elder  K.  W.  Nixon  was  born  in  Hanover  County, 
North  Carolina,  May  3,  1799,  where  he  lived  till  about 
twelve  years  of  age.  His  father,  Col.  Eichard  Nixon,  then 
emigrated  to  Bertie  County,  in  the  same  State,  and  while 
living  there,  had  his  son  placed  in  the  Military  Academy 
at  West  Point.     In   1821,  his  father  came  to  Tennessee. 

Here  the  son  married,  in  1822,  Miss  S.  C.  Whitfield, 
daughter  of  Needham  Whitfield,  Esq.,  of  Montgomery 
County,  an  early  friend  of  your  grandfather,  mentioned  in 
a  former  chapter.  After  his  marriage  he  changed  his 
place  of  residence  to  Brownsville,  Tennessee,  and  sold  goods 
for  some  time  in  that  place.  In  1827,  he  returned  to  Mont- 
gomery County  and  settled  near  his  wife's  Mher.  He 
made  a  profession'  of  religion  in  1828,  and  was  baptized  by 
"your  grandfather,  as  a  member  of  Spring  Creek  Church. 
In  1830,  he  commenced  preaching,  and  in  1831  was 
ordained  to  the  ministry  by  your  grandfather,  and  Elder 
Robert  Rutherford. 

Some  years  after,  when  your  grandfather  resigned  the 


SKETCHES   OF    ELDERS    CONTINUED.  335 

pastorate  of  this  church,  Eider  Nixon  was  chosen  his  suc- 
cessor, and  continued  his  pastoral  care,  until  1857,  when 
he  removed  to  Lauderdale  County,  Tennessee.  "  Besides 
his  pastoral  care,"  says  a  friend  and  brother,  "  he  rode  and 
preached  extensively,  as  a  missionary  for  the  Bethel  Asso- 
ciation some  three  years.  He  spoke  of  his  labors  in  that 
department  with  great  satisfaction."  After  his  settlement 
in  Tennessee,  he  was  pastor  of  several  churches  and  also  a 
missionary,  under  the  patronage  of  the  West  Tennessee 
Baptist  Convention. 

He  died  of  pneumonia,  March  4th,  1881,  in  the  seventy- 
second  year  of  his  age,  after  an  illness  of  twelve  days,  during 
which  he  suffered  exceedingly,  often  trying  in  vain  to  sing 
some  familiar  hymn. 

"  Elder  Nixon  loved  to  preach ;  it  was  his  constant 
thought.  He  frequently  said  :  '  A  preacher  ought  to  love 
his  work.'  His  talent  for  preaching  was  above  mediocrity^ 
The  order  and  systematic  arrangement  of  his  sermons 
were  superior.  His  thoughts  were  well  arranged,  and  pre- 
sented to  his  hearers  with  a  force  and  energy  that  arrested 
attention." 

In  the  language  of  Elder  Joseph  Borum,  from  whose 
notice  of  the  death  of  Elder  Nixon,  the  above  has  been 
condensed,  and  for  whom  he  had  an  unusual  attachment, 
"His  work  on  earth  is  done.  He  has  Q-one  to  receive  his  re- 
ward.  Christians  will  no  more  hear  his  words  of  encour- 
agement. Sinners  will  no  more  hear  his  faithful  warnings. 
Let  all  remember  that  the  Lord  has  said  :  '  They  that  be 
wise  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament,  and 
they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness,  as  the  stars  forever.' 
A  beautiful  and  glorious  promise  to  the  faithful  ambassa- 
dor of  Christ." 


336  ELDER   REUBEN  ROSS. 

Elder  Thomas  Watts  was  born  in  Albemarle  County, 
Virginia,  in  1787.  He  emigrated  to  Sumner  County, 
Tennessee,  about  the  year  1810.  In  1812,  he  settled  in 
Christian  County,  Kentucky.  After  this  he  resided  alter- 
nately in  various  border  counties  of  Kentucky  and  Ten- 
nessee. In  1827,  when  about  forty  years  of  age,  he  pro- 
fessed religion.  In  1830,  he  began  to  preach.  As  a 
minister  of  the  gospel  he  was  zealous  and  earnest.  As  a 
man  and  Christian  he  had  the  esteem  and  confidence,  not 
of  his  brethren  only,  but  of  all  who  knew  him.  He  died 
in  Logan  County,  Kentucky,  May,  1860,  a  few  months 
only  after  your  grandfather  passed  away ;  fortunately 
escaping  the  horrors  of  the  impending  civil  war. 

Elder  John  Mallory  completes  the  number  of  the 
brethren  in  the  ministry  most  intimately  associated  with 
yourgrandfather  in  giving  stability  and  character  to  Bethel 
Association,  who  have  passed  away  from  "  this  mundane 
sphere."  From  a  friend  I  have  obtained  a  copy  of  the 
Eecord  made  by  order  of  the  church  to  which  he  be- 
longed, immediately  after  his  death ;    it  is  as  follows  : 

"  Elder  John  Mallory  was  born  in  Caldwell  County,  North  Carolina, 
January  5,  1798.  While  a  youth,  his  father  emigrated  to  Tennessee.  In 
1828,  he  professed  faith  in  Christ,  and  was  baptized  into  the  fellowship 
of  the  Little  West  Fork  Church  by  Elder  Reuben  Ross.  Not  long  after 
his  connection  with  the  church,  he  was  chosen  to  the  office  of  deacon, 
which  office  he  held  with  acceptance  and  profit  to  the  church  until  ho 
was  licensed  to  preach  in  November,  1839. 

"  In  February,  1841,  he  was  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  The 
elders  who  officiated  at  his  ordination  were — Reuben  Ross,  R.  Ruther- 
ford, R.  W.  Nixon,  and  Thomas  Watts.  Shortly  after  his  ordination  he 
became  Pastor  of  Blooming  Grove  Church.  His  work  was  greatly 
blessed,  and  many  were  added  to  the  church. 

"  After  resigning  the  pastorate  of  this  church,  he  was  employed  sev- 
eral years  by  the  Association  as  one  of  her  missionaries  to  preach  to  the 
destitute  within  her  bounds. 


SKETCHES  OF   ELDERS   CONTINUED.  337 

"  On  the  fourth  Sabbath  in  September,  1862,  ho  was  arrested  by  tho 
Federal  authorities  at  Bay  Rock  meetinghouse,  Stewart  County,  Ten- 
nessee, and  carried  to  Fort  Donelson,  where  he  was  kept  a  prisoner  sev- 
eral days,  but  finally  released  on  taking  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the 
Government.  lie  was  soon  after  taken  ill,  his  disease  being  contracted 
while  a  prisoner  from  exposure,  and  died  in  a  few  days  after  at  his  resi. 
dence  in  Stewart  County,  on  the  14th  of  October,  1862,  in  the  65th  year 
of  his  age,  leaving  a  wife  and  several  children  and  many  loving  friends 
to  mourn  the  melancholy  close  of  his  life.  But  their  loss  is  his  great 
gain,  for  a  voice  from  the  volume  of  inspiration  says :  '  Blessed  are  tho 
dead  who  die  in  the  Lord.'" 

He  was  a  good  man.  I  remember  him  well.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  the  clouds  of  war  hung  black  and  heavy 
over  his  unhappy  country;  but  he  soon  reached  the  "sun- 
bright  clime,"  where,  "  the  wicked  cease  from  troubling 
and  the  weary  are  at  rest." 

To  my  mind,  the  memory  of  such  men  as  Fort,  Tandy, 
Bourne,  Rutherford,  Wilson,  Warder,  Warfield,  Anderson, 
Nixon,  Watts,  and  Mallory, — names  that  have  been  men- 
tioned in  these  sketches,  is  worthy  of  lasting  preservation  ; 
for,  in  many  respects,  they  challenge  our  admiration. 
They  were  all  fully  persuaded  that  it  was  their  duty  to 
preach  the  gospel  to  their  fellow-men  ;  and  with  this  be- 
lief, under  many  discouraging  circumstances,  they  gave 
themselves  to  the  work.  Not  one  of  them,  in  the  full 
import  of  the  word,  could  be  called  a  man  of  learning. 
Being  in  most  instances  poor,  they  neither  had  access  to 
books  nor  leisure  to  read  them.  What  time  they  could 
spare,  after  providing  for  their  families,  they  devoted  to 
preaching.  Consequently,  the  Bible  was  the  book  they 
chiefly  studied.  It  thus  became  the  source  and  fountain  of 
their  religious  knowledge.  This  they  were  compelled  to 
study  diligently  and  to  form  opinions  for  themselves  in 
regard  to  its  great  and  solemn  truths,  instead  of  learning 
the  opinions  of  others  from  books  and  lectures. 


338  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

Although  in  criticism  and  dialects  they  were  by  no 
means  masters,  their  knowledge  of  the  sacred  writings  was, 
in  many  instances,  both  accurate  and  extensive ;  and  this, 
aided  by  no  inconsiderable  degree  of  native  eloquence  and 
talent,  enabled  them  to  present  the  teaching  of  the  Scrip- 
tures with  no  small  degree  of  power  and  effect. 

The  thing  that  lends  a  peculiar  interest  to  the  memory 
of  these  men,  is  their  unblemished  characters.  It  would, 
perhaps,  be  difficult  to  point  to  the  same  number  of  men 
anywhere,  associated  together  for  any  purpose,  whose 
lives  aud  cliaracters  were  more  faultless  and  pure.  On 
this  account  the  churches  of  the  Bethel  Association  have 
good  reason  to  felicitate  themselves.  They  stand  as  bright 
examples  for  imitation  in  the  coming  years.  With  men 
like  these  to  give  them  dignity  and  character,  they  may 
anticipate  a  long  career  of  usefulness  and  honor. 

Your  grandfather  remained  till  almost  the  last  of  those 
had  passed  away.  This  produced  a  feeling  of  loneliness 
and  desertion,  like  that  of  the  traveller  who  has  been  left 
behind  by  his  companions  to  finish  his  journey  alone. 

Remembering  that  these  excellent  men  have  finished 
their  course  and  will  never  again  appear  in  the  fields  of 
their,  former  labors,  their  brethren  that  are  left  behind 
might  well  feel  that  their  loss  was  irreparable.  But, 
though  Elder  Williams  is  no  longer  in  the  bounds  of 
Bethel  Association,  and  the  familiar  face  of  Elder  Holland 
will  no  more  be  seen  among  them,  they  still  have  a  corps 
of  able  and  efficient  ministers  to  carry  on  the  good  work. 
Among  them  may  be  mentioned  the  names  of  Morrow, 
Baker,  Keen,  Sears,  Gardner,  Lamb,  Plaster,  Forgy, 
Crutcher,  S.  S.  Mallory,  and  Dicken. 


CHAPTEE  XXXIV.* 

•  THE   TRUANT. 

In  order  to  call  your  attention  to  some  particulars 
which  could  not  have  been  introduced  so  conveniently  at 
an  earlier  period,  I  will  go  back  to  the  year  1818,  and 
give  you  some  account  of  them. 

There  was,  at  this  time,  in  our  vicinity  a  youth  with 
whom  I  was  well  acquainted  (it  is  unnecessary  to  mention 
names),  who  had  a  great  desire  to  be  well  educated,  and 
especially  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  the  Greek  and  Latin 
languages.  He  had  somewhere  picked  up  a  work  on 
Mythology,  and  read  with  much  interest  of  the  gods,  god- 
desses, demi-gods,  and  heroes  of  antiquity.  He  had  also 
read  in  Plutarch's  Lives,  of  Caesar,  Hannibal,  Pompey, 
Alexander,  and  other  illustrious  characters,  and  had  a 
great  desire  to  read  of  all  these  in  the  language  in  which 
they  were  originally  written.  Moreover,  he  had  heard 
that  a  course  of  classical  studies  would  be  of  great  benefit 
to  one  who  might  study  a  profession,  which  he  hoped  he 
might  at  some  time  be  able  to  do.  He  could  not  see  how 
he  could  accomplish  these  ends,  as  his  father  was  unable 
to  incur  the  expense,  and,  being  a  preacher,  he  was  a  good 

*  The  critical  reader  may  doubt  whether  this  chapter,  strictly  speak- 
ing, should  have  a  place  in  this  volume,  especially  as  it  does  not  appear 
in  chronological  order.  The  matters  related,  however,  are  not  only  in- 
teresting but  exciting  ;  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  those  who  read 
the  chapter  will  be  glad  of  its  insertion. 

J.  M.  P. 

339 


340  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

deal  away  from  his  family,  which  made  it  necessary  that 
this  youth  should  stay  at  home  to  protect  and  assist  his 
mother,  and  also  to  aid  in  the  work  of  the  farm. 

Not  being  able  to  solve  the  problem  himself,  after  much 
reflection  he  concluded  to  get  the  advice  of  a  young  man 
who  attended  the  school,  whom  he  considered  a  .true 
friend  and  very  wise  withal,  being  several  years  older  than 
himself.  The  student  listened  to  the  youth's  statement  of 
the  case  very  attentively ;  then  inquired  if  he  knew  enough 
to  teach  a  school.  He  was  told  that  he  could  read  and 
spell  very  well,  knew  a  little  of  Arithmetic  and  Gram- 
mar, and  was  pretty  well  up  in  Geography.  "  But  what 
about  your  writing?"  His  copy-book  was  produced, 
and,  after  examination,  he  was  told  it  would  do. 

"  Now,"  said  he,  "  if  you  will  go  over  into  Muhlenburg 
Countv,  Kentucky,  where  I  am  acquainted,  you  can  get  a 
school  of  fifty  scholars,  if  you  want  them.  The  people 
there,  in  some  places,  are  thickly  settled,  and  would  be  the 
gladdest  in  the  world  to  have  their  children  taught  to  lead 
and  write  a  little.  But,  as  you  can  teach  Arithmetic  and 
Grammar,  especially  if  you  are  willing  to  hoard  round, 
you  can  make  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred 
dollars  a  year  with  all  ease.  In  this  way,  in  the  course  of 
two  or  three  years,  you  may  have  four  or  five  hundred 
dollars  in  your  pockets,  and  go  to  school  and  learn  Greek 
and  Latin  to  your  heart's  content,  study  law  if  you  choose, 
and  become  famous,  perhaps,  like  Clay,  Rowan,  and  the  rest 
of  them." 

This  scheme  appeared  so  grand  and  beautiful,  and  also 
so  practical,  that  he  was  completely  fascinated.  It  is  prob- 
able that  most  boys,  at  his  age,  have  felt  a  similar  tempta- 
tion.    A  few  days  after  this  consultation,  just  as  the  Oc- 


THE   TRUANT.  341 

tober  sun  was  rising  above  the  hills  east  of  Hopkinsville, 
might  have  been  seen  a  youth  about  seventeen  years  of 
age,  with  a  small  bundle  in  his  hand,  walking  bri-skly 
through  that  part  of  the  town  where  the  old  brick  semi- 
nary used  to  stand.  He  desires  much  to  pass  through 
this  place  unknown,  so  as  to  escape  observation  and  trou- 
blesome inquiries.  In  order  to  accomplish  this,  on  the 
night  previous,  immediately  after  his  supper,  he  went  to 
his  room,  made  up  his  bundle,  wrote  a  short  note  to  his 
mother,  as  cheerfully  as  possible,  in  which  he  informed 
her  he  had  started  out  into  the  world,  to  make  his  fortune, 
and  expected  wonderful  success ;  that  she  was  to  feel  no 
anxiety  on  his  account ;  that  all  his  plans  had  been  well 
considered,  and  could  not  possibly  fail  of  success ;  that, 
in  due  time  he  would  write  and  tell  her  how  he  succeeded. 
He  concluded  by  requesting  her  to  persuade  his  father  to 
give  himself  no  trouble  on  his  account,  or  to  try  to  hunt 
him  up,  as  it  would  be  altogether  useless.  This  note  he 
folded  and  laid  on  the  table,  took  his  bundle,  stepped  out 
into  the  darkness,  and  started  for  Muhlenburg  County,  via 
Hopkinsville. 

After  passing  the  town  as  above  stated,  it  being  no  lon- 
ger necessary  to  hasten,  he  slackened  his  pace,  and  pro- 
ceeded quite  leisurely.  The  day  was  delightful.  No 
tropic  plant  in  full  bloom  could  outvie  in  gorgeous  color 
the  trees  of  the  forest ;  every  leaf  was  brighter  than  the 
gayest  flower,  and  clothed  the  forest  in  variegated  and 
romantic  beauty.  The  traveller,  somewhat  fatigued  by 
the  long  walk  of  the  morning,  occasionally  stopped  by 
the  way,  and  reclined  at  the  roots  of  some  giant  tree  or  on 
the  margin  of  a  stream ;  thus  at  the  same  time  he  rested 
himself,   and   enjoyed   the    beauty   of    the    surrounding 


342  •  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

scenery.  It  was  at  the  season  when  the  woods  were 
filled  with  wild  pigeons,  and  the  squirrels  busy,  gathering 
nuts  and  acorns  to  store  for  the  coining  winter.  Whether 
he  reached  Muhlenburg  County  a  little  earlier  or  later 
was  to  this  traveller  of  little  moment. 

The  feeling  that,  henceforth,  he  could  act  in  every  re- 
spect, just  to  suit  himself,  untrammeled,  independent,  was 
new  and  strange,  and  very  agreeable. 

At  noon,  or  perhaps  a  little  earlier,  he  stopped  at  a 
wayside  cabin  and  procured  refreshment.  For  this  he 
paid  a  mere  trifle  which  was  received  rather  reluctantly. 
After  this  he  pursued  his  journey  till  near  the  close  of  the 
day,  when  he  called  at  a  house  and  obtained  lodging  for 
the  night.  The  family  consisted  of  an  old  man,  his  wife, 
and  daughter.  They  were  in  a  good  deal  of  trouble  at  the 
time.  The  husband  of  the  daughter,  who  had  been  lately 
married,  had  gotten  into  a  difficulty  of  some  kind,  which 
rendered  it  necessary  for  him  to  leave  home.  i\.fter  supper, 
the  traveller  learned,  rather  to  his  embarrassment,  that 
they  were  all  to  sleep  in  the  same  room.  After  taking  off 
his  coat  and  hanging  it  on  the  back  of  the  chair,  as  a  sort 
of  screen  while  undressing  he  turned  down  the  cover,  and 
rolled  into  bed.  He  never  forgot  the  luxury  it  was  to 
relax  his  weary  limbs  in  that  comfortable  bed. 

He  now  for  the  first  time,  began  to  feel  some  misgivings] 
in  regard  to  what  he  had  done.     That  is,  to  doubt  if  he] 
had  acted  right  in  leaving  home  in  the  manner  described. 
The  more  he  reflected  the  more  uncomfortable  he  became. 
He  finally  determined  that  if  he  could  not  throw  off  these 
unpleasant  thoughts,   rather   than  be   thus  annoyed,  hoj 
would  straightway   return  home.      He  then  fell  into  a  I 
deep  sleep  from  which  he  did  not  awake  till  broad  day. 


THE   TRUANT.  343 

After  break fiist  he  took  leave  of  the  kind  old  people  who 
had  entertained  him  so  hospitably.  They  refused  to  re- 
ceive any  pay  for  their  trouble  and  with  kind  wishes  he 
departed. 

With  a  light  heart  and  buoyant  step,  he  now  began 
the  second  day's  journey,  but  he  had  not  proceeded  f;ir 
when  the  unpleasant  impressions  of  the  night  returned, 
and  continued  till  noon,  when  he  entered  a  house  on  the 
roadside  to  rest  and  procure  dinner.  The  man  of  the 
house  proved  to  be  a  very  inquisitive  and  excitable  fellow, 
and  a  number  of  questions  and  answers  ensued  as  follows  : 

"  If  it  is  a  fair  question,"  said  the  host,  "  may  I  ask 
where  you  are  from  ?  " 

"  From  Tennessee,"  was  the  reply. 

"  And  where  may  you  be  going  ?  " 

"  To  Muhlenburg  County,  Kentucky." 

"  From  what  part  of  Tennessee  did  you  come  ?  " 

"  From  Montgomery  County." 

"And  what  may  be  taking  you  to  Muhlenburg  County, 
pray  ?  " 

"  I  am  going  there  to  teach  school." 

"  Indeed  !  To  teach  school  did  you  say  ?  " 

"  Yes;  to  teach  school." 

"  And  what  can  you  teach,  pray  ?  " 

"  Spelling,  reading,  writing,  arithmetic,  grammar,  and 
geography,"  pronounced  very  promptly. 

"  Well,  I  declare !  you  boys,  over  in  Tennessee,  must  be 
peart  lads.  What  is  the  name  of  that  last  thing  you 
teach?  " 

"  Geography." 

"  And  what  is  that  ?  " 

"  Geogra})hy   means  a   description  of  the  Earth  its — 


344  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

lakes,  rivers,  mountains,  oceans,  islands,  continents,  king- 
doms, and  empires." 

He  begins  to  show  off. 

"  The  Lord  save  us !  And  can  you  teach  all  them 
things  ?  " 

"  They  are  nothing.  I  can  explain  to  you  the  torrid, 
frigid,  and  temperate  zones ;  the  Arctic  and  Antarctic  cir- 
cles ;  the  eclipses  of  the  sun  and  moon  ;  the  planets  primary 
and  secondary,  and  thg  tides  of  the  ocean." 

"  Holy  Angels  !  Stranger,  if  it's  a  school  you  want,  you 
need  not  go  a  step  from  this  place.  I  will  get  on  my 
horse  directly  after  dinner,  go  round  among  the  neighbors, 
and  have  them  all  here  after  breakfast  in  the  morning, 
and  we  will  make  you  up  a  school  before  you  know  it. 
And  I  want  you  to  board  here  too.  I  like  to  hear  you 
talk." 

'' Many  thanks,  but  I  will  first  go  on  to  Muhlenburg, 
and  if  things  do  not  look  favorable  there,  I  can  return  as 
you  seem  to  think  I  can  do  well  here." 

"Think,  did  you  say?  1  think  nothing  about  it.  I 
knoio  it.  But,  bless  mo !  I  don't  even  know  your  name 
yet." 

Here  the  stranger  tells  his  name. 

"There  it  is  again,"  said  he.  "  The  very  name  of  the 
preacher  that  was  down  here  at  the  big  meeting  lately. 
Any  kin  ?" 

"  I  believe,"  said  the  stranger,  "  nearly  all  of  that  name 
think  they  are  related.  But  tell  me,  did  the  preacher  of 
my  name  talk  pretty  well  ?  " 

"  You  may  say  that,''  said  he.  "  He  told  us  what  a 
awful  fix  we  would  all  be  in  when  we  die,  if  we  didn't  re- 
j>ent  and  believe  the  gospel,  and  begged  us  so  hard  to  be 


THE   TRUANT.  345 

good,  and  seemed  so  sorry  for  us,  that  we  all  fell  to  crying 
like  our  hearts  would  break,  and  some  of  the  meanest  old 
sinners  in  the  whole  settlement  cried  like  young  gals  when 
they  are  in  trouble.  Some  of  them  jined  the  church,  and 
they  aint  been  so  wicked  as  they  was  before.  Some  of  us 
were  kinder  shamed  of  ourselves,  for  taking  on  so,  but 
we  couldn't  help  it,  for  I  tell  you  he  preached  powerful." 

The  youth  never  forgot  this  interview,  and  it  was  ever 
after  a  pleasant  recollection. 

After  dinner  he  bade  adieu  to  his  lively  and  kind- 
hearted  host,  and  started,  not  for  Muhlenburg,  but  straight 
for  home,  which  he  reached  late  in  the  eveningof  the  third 
day  after  leaving  it.  Had  he  encountered  real  hardships 
and  dangers  on  his  wild  adventure,  his  reception,  on  re- 
turning, would  have  more  than  compensated  him.  His 
mother  and  the  children  were  greatly  delighted,  and 
praised  him  extravagantly  for  returning,  and  on  his  telling 
her  that  when  he  came  to  think  about  it,  he  was  satisfied 
he  had  acted  wrong,  and  turned  back  on  that  account,  his 
mother  said,  that  was  just  what  she  thought  he  would  do 
from  the  first.  This  pleased  him  not  a  little.  He  re- 
lated to  her  all  he  had  experienced  on  his  travels,  and  it  is 
probable  so  poor  a  tale  had  never  been  listened  to  with 
deeper  interest.  It  was  often  mentioned,  years  after,  by 
the  family,  as  a  remarkable  event  in  its  history. 

When,  in  turn,  he  was  told  all  that  ha,d  occurred  during 
his  absence  ;  how  business  was  suspended  ;  the  wheel  and 
loom  forgotten ;  how  they  all  sat  up  till  late  at  night,  listen- 
ing for  him  to  knock  at  the  door ;  how  they  watched  the 
gate  and  looked  down  the  road  all  the  long  days;  how  the 
neighbors  would  come  in  and  inquire  about  him,  shake 
their  heads  and  go  away.     But  it  is  time  we  were  looking 


346  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

after  the  youth's  father.  When  he  returned  home,  only 
the  day  before  his  son,  from  a  toar  of  preaching,  and  learn- 
ed what  had  taken  place,  he,  to  use  a  phrase  now  in 
vogue,  "  was  very  much  demoralized."  It  was  not  uncom- 
mon at  that  time,  and  still  less  so  some  years  earlier,  for 
wild  young  "  scamps,"  to  leave  home  for  the  purpose  of 
"  running  the  river,"  as  they  called  it,  which  was  to  get 
on  a  keol-boat,  barge,  or  flat-boat,  and  become  regular 
boatmen.  This  often  made  ruffians  of  them,  especially  if 
they  ran  the  lower  Ohio  River,  which  was  long  infested 
by  desperadoes  of  the  worst  type.  Many  no  doubt,  still 
remember  the  bad  reputation  of  "  Ford's  Ferry"  and  its 
vicinity  in  former  times,  when  traders  were  murdered  for 
their  money,  and  owners  of  trading  boats  with  their  families 
were  said  to  have  been  killed,  the  goods  taken  out,  and  the 
boats  burned,  and  where  Ford  himself,  who  it  was  thought 
belonged  to  the  gang,  was  shot  dead  in  his  own  house,  by 
whom,  it  was  never  discovered,  though  the  house  at  the 
time  was  full  of  men  drinking  and  carousing  together.  I 
remember  to  have  seen  somewhere  a  description  of  the 
cave,  called  "  The  Hole  in  the  Rock,"  in  which  these  men 
lived.  It  was  said  to  be  near  the  river  and  not  far  below 
the  Ferry.  I  once  heard  a  gentlemen  speak  of  an  amusing 
incident  in  reference  to  this  old  Ferry,  years  after  the 
death  of  Ford. 

He  stated  that,  being  on  his  way  to  look  at  some  of  the 
fine  lands  in  Illinois,  he  reached  the  ferry  late  in  the  even- 
ing, where  he  had  expected  to  stay  and  cross  the  river 
next  morning.  But  every  thing  about  the  premises  ap- 
peared weird  and  uninviting,  and  brought  to  his  mind  the 
ugly  tales  he  had  heard  about  the  place.  These  took  such 
hold  of  his  imagination,  that,  notwithstanding  respectable 


THE  TRUANT.  347 

people  were  then  owners  of  the  premises,  he  offered  an 
extra  price  to  be  set  over  the  river  at  once.  When  he 
reached  the  Illinois  shore  he  felt  much  relieved,  but  his 
rejoicing  did  not  last  long  ;  for,  while  riding  across  the 
gloomy  bottom,  he  saw  a  man  sneaking  along  the  under- 
growth, evidently  intending  to  get  into  the  road  just  be- 
fore him.  He  concluded  at  once  that  the  man  was  a  rob- 
ber. Holding  his  bridle  in  his  left  hand,  and  putting  his 
right  into  the  pocket  of  his  overcoat,  where  was  his  pistol, 
he  cocked  it,  intending,  so  soon  as  the  suspicious-looking 
fellow  put  his  hand  on  the  bridle,  to  shoot  him  down. 
Instead  of  doing  this,4ie  stopped  short,  took  off  his  hat, 
and  bowing  politely,  said:  "  Stranger,  if  you  have  any  to 
spare,  please  give  me  a  little  piece  of  terbacker."  The 
"  terbacker  "  being  given,  there  were  two  happy  fellows — 
one  because  he  had  a  plug  of  fine  tobacco,  the  other  that 
he  had  escaped  a  rencounter  with  a  supposed  robber. 

The  youth's  father  had  more  than  once  expressed  to  his 
mother  much  anxiety  on  his  account,  having  observed  that 
his  mind  seemed  to  be  too  much  occupied  with  tales  of  ro- 
mantic adventure.  Being  an  ardent  admirer  of  J)aniel 
Boone,  who  was  then  hunting  and  trapping  in  Missouri,  he 
sometimes,  in  a  rather  peculiar  way,  would  say  to  his 
mother :  "  You  needn't  be  surprised  if  some  day  I  leave 
home  to  join  Daniel  Boone."  Having  his  fears  now  fully 
aroused,  the  father  of  this  truant  now  determined  to  set 
out  early  next  morning  in  search  of  him,  before  he  wan- 
dered off  too  far,  and  I  doubt  not  would  have  rivaled  Ceres 
in  his  fabled  search  for  Proserpine,  had  he  not  found  him; 
for  he  was  not  easily  deterred  from  anything  he  under- 
took. Knowing  this,  the  young  adventurer  made  all  haste 
to  depart.     Late  in  the  day  he  was  happy  to  discover  he 


348  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

was^  in  Indian  parlance,  on  "  the  right  trail ;"  and  a  little 
before  nightfall  met  a  man  who  said  he  had  seen  his  father 
dismount  at  Elder  Home's  gate  and  go  into  the  house. 

Elder  Josiah  Home  was  a  Baptist  preacher,  an  excellent 
man, — one  whose  "praise  was  in  all  the  churches"  on  ac- 
count of  his  gentle  Christian  character.  He  resided  in 
what  was  called  the  Blooming  Grove  Settlement,  some  ten 
or  twelve  miles  below  Clarksville.  His  father  had  been 
vainly  trying  to  ascertain  what  direction  the  truant 
had  taken,  and,  when  night  came,  found  himself  near  his 
friend's  residence,  and  concluded  to  remain  there  for  the 
night. 

It  was  dark  when  the  lad  reached  the  place  where  his 
father  was,  and,  getting  off  his  horse,  went  to  the  door  of 
the  room  where  he  and  Elder  Home  and  other  members 
of  the  family,  with  several  neighbors,  were  sitting  round 
the  fire,  rather  a  melancholy  group,  having  heard  the  sad 
news.  After  knockino;,  and  beinsr  invited  to  "  enter,"  he 
stepped  in.  In  a  moment  all  were  on  their  feet.  Going 
to  his  father,  he  shook  hands  with  him — told  him  he  had 
reached  home  safely,  and,  on  learning  he  was  in  search  of 
him,  had  started  almost  immediately  to  find  him,  and  had 
succeeded  in  tracing  him  to  this  house.  His  father  was 
greatly  delighted,  and  the  boy  never  remembered  having 
seen  his  expressive  countenance  more  radiant  with  pleasure 
than  on  that  happy  occasion. 

It  was  evident  that  a  load  of  anxiety  had  been  lifted  off 
his  mind.  All  gathered  round,  and  a  general  shaking  of 
hands  ensued.  "  Old  Brother  Home  "  was  the  happiest 
person  present,  your  grandfather  excepted — for  I  sup- 
pose it  is  not  necessary  to  use"  our  thin  veil  any  longer. 

"We  had  an  excellent  supper,  spent  the  evening  very 
happily  and  on  the  morrow  returned  home. 


CHAPTER   XXXV. 

DR.  CHARLES  MERIWETHER  AND  HON.  JOHN  W.  TYLER. 

The  spring  after  the  adventure  narrated  in  our  last 
rhapter,  your  grandfather  informed  me  that  there  was  a 
-chool  near  Dr.  Charles  Meriwether's,  taught  by  a  Mr. 
Boyer  of  Todd  County,  Kentucky,  and  that  he  had  been 
invited  to  take  me  there  to  board  in  the  family  and  attend 
the  school.  This  proved  to  be  a  most  fortunate  arrange- 
ment for  me,  for  there  I  was  received  as  one  of  the  family, 
lid  treated  with  the  utmost  kindness.  The  Doctor  had 
Uiree  sons,  one  near  my  own  age,  two  younger,  and  if  there 
Wius  ever  any  diflerence  made  between  us,  I  never  per- 
ceived it.  This  kindness  made  a  deep  and  lasting  impres- 
sion on  me;  remaining  green  and  fresh  in  my  memory 
though  the  changing  vicissitudes  of  many  long  years.  Dr. 
Charles  Meriwether  was  a  native  of  Albemarle,  Virginia. 
He  was  a  large  and  handsome  man.  Let  no  one  suppose 
he  sees  his  real  likeness  in  the  portrait  still  to  be  seen  in 
the  parlor  at  Meriville.  His  form  was  noble  and  com- 
manding. His  features  were  cast  in  nature's  finest  mold. 
His  smile  was  of  the  utmost  suavity  and  kindness,  and  his 
expression  striking  and  engaging.  However,  you  need 
not  to  be  told  this,  who  remember  him  well,  though  later 
in  life.  I  have  no  doubt  that  he  was  the  most  educated 
and  highly  cultivated  gentleman  in  the  West  at  that  time. 
His  grandflither,  generally  known  in  his  day  as  "  Parson 
Douglas,"  belonging  to  the  Church  of  England,  came  from 
1^  349 


350  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

Scotland,  and  settled  in  Virginia  in  early  times.  He  was 
descended  from  the  ancient  and  powerful  house  of  Douglas, 
so  famous  in  Scottish  history.  His  mother,  Margaret 
Douglas,  married  a  Welsh  gentleman  named  Meriwether. 

Parson  Douglas  was  considered  a  man  of  extensive 
learning  and  ability.  Many  books  may  be  still  seen  at 
Meriville,  the  name  of  tlfe  family  seat,  in  which  is  written  : 
"  Ex  libris  Gidielini  Douglass."  One  of  the  books  of  Wil- 
liam Douglas. 

After  having  passed  through  a  liberal  course  of  study 
in  Virginia,  Dr.  C.  Meriwether  was  sent  to  the  far  lamed 
University  of  Edinburgh,  in  Scotland,  then  in  its  palmy 
days,  where  he  remained  a  number  of  years,  and  graduated 
in  the  school  of  medicine.  I  used  to  get  his  Diploma — the 
first  one  I  had  seen,  and  which  was  a  showy  affair — and 
try  to  decipher  the  Latin,  but  with  indifferent  success. 
During  his  sojourn  at  Edinburgh,  he  formed  the  acquaint- 
ance of  many  of  the  great  men  who  shed  luster  on  the 
University  at  that  time.  I  have  heard  him  speak  of  inter- 
views with  Robertson,  the  historian,  then  principal  of  the 
University  ;  Blair,  the  famous  rhetorician,  and  others  dis- 
tinguished for  science  and  literature,  who  attracted  stu- 
dents from  all  parts  of  Europe. 

After  graduating  he  returned  to  his  native  state  and 
practiced  medicine.  Having  an  ample  fortune,  he  paid  but 
little  attention  to  collecting  his  fees.  He  once  showed  me 
a  large,  well  bound  book  in  which  all  his  accounts  were 
made  out  with  care  and  neatness,  which  had  never  been 
collected.     The  total  amounted  to  a  large  sum  of  money. 

About  the  year  1817  he  emigrated  from  Virginia  to 
Southern  Kentucky,  and  purchased  a  large  body  of  fertile 
land  in  what  is  now  Todd  County,  lying  along  the  State 
line.     Here  he  was  living  when  I  entered  his  family  as  a 


DR.  CHAS.  MERIWETHER  AND  HON.  JOHN  W.  TYLER.  351 

boarder.  I,  of  course,  was  amazed  at  the  extent  of  his 
knowledge.  From  the  humble,  the  fascinating  science  of 
botany,  to  the  profound  subjects  of  physical  and  metaphys- 
ical learning,  he  was  fcimiliar,  having  explored  them  all. 
And  when,  after  supper,  he  would  remain  in  the  dining- 
room  an  hour  with  me,  as  he  sometimes  did,  conversing  on 
these  and  kindred  subjects,  so  interesting  was  he,  the  time 
glided  swiftly  away.  Chemistry  seemed  to  interest  him 
more  at  that  time  than  any  other  subject,  as  wonderful 
discoveries  were  then  being  made  in  that  department.  He 
also  took  much  delight  in  Mathematics.  He  said  to  me  on 
one  occasion  :  "  H  you  will  remain  with  me  during  the 
holidays,  I  will  give  you  any  assistance  in  Geometry  you 
may  need."  Accordingly  I  procured  Euclid's  Elements, 
the  work  then  in  common  use,  and  went  to  work.  When 
the  demonstration  of  a  proposition  did  not  appear  clear  to 
my  mind,  he  would  explain,  and  show  me  wherein  the  de- 
monstration lay,  in  so  few  words  and  with  such  perspicuity, 
as  to  excite  my  admiration  and  surprise.  He  concerned 
himself  in  all  natural  phenomena,  and  when  in  1825  those 
singular  and  beautiful  circles  appeared  around  the  sun, 
which  some  may  still  remember,  he  became  greatly  inter- 
ested, and  he  and  Mr.  Jefterson,  President  of  the  United 
States,  were  in  correspondence  on  the  subject.  They  were 
very  wonderful  as  well  as  beautiful.  Your  uncle,  Charles 
A.  Meriwether,  has  in  his  possession  a  diagram  which  his 
father  left,  showing  the  manner  in  which  these  circles  in- 
tersected each  other.  But  in  the  diagram  the  lovely  rain- 
bow tints  were  wanting.  I  think  Mr.  Jefferson  and  Dr. 
Meriwether  together  discovered  what  they  considered  a 
satisfactory  solution  ;  but,  I  regret  to  say,  I  do  not  now 
remember  what  it  was. 


352  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

During  the  years  I  remained  in  the  family,  the  doctor 
enjoyed  life  very  much.  It  was  at  the  time  when  Sir 
Walter  Scott  held  the  literary  world  spell-bound.  First, 
by  his  poetical  works,  and  then  by  his  novels,  nothing 
comparable  to  which,  in  the  realms  of  fiction,  had  appeared 
previously.  The  Scottish  character  was  well  understood 
by  the  doctor,  having  lived  so  long  in  Edinburgh ;  and 
when  it  was  so  well  delineated  by  the  magic  pen  of  the 
"  Wizard  of  the  North,"  it  afforded  him  unmixed  delight. 

It  was  with  the  comic  or  lower  characters,  such  as 
Mompliss,  Dandie  Dinmont,  Captain  Dalgetty,  that  he 
was  most  delighted.  Old  Mause,  who  appeared  to  such 
advantage  at  the  battle  of  Loudon  Hill  and  on  other  oc- 
casions,  was  a  great  favorite  with  him.  Her  sneer  at 
"  the  old  woman  in  scarlet,  who  used  to  sit  upon  seven 
hills,"  "  as  if  one  was  not  enough  for  her,"  amused  him  par- 
ticularly. I  have  heard  him  say  that  he  had  no  doubt  of 
having  seen  the  original  of  the  Black  Dwarf,  the  famous 
"  Canny  Elshie." 

Quito  a  friendship  at  this  time  existed  between  him  and 
ex- Governor  Blount  of  Tennessee.  The  latter  would  come 
occasionally  and-  spend  several  days  with  the  doctor.  It 
was  a  great  entertainment  to  me,  at  such  times,  to  hear 
their  conversation.  Doctor  Meriwether  was  familiar 
with  the  progress  of  literature,  arts,  and  sciences  in  the  old 
world,  and  could  relate  anecdotes  of  the  distinguished 
men,  many  of  whom  he  had  seen.  The  Governor,  on  the 
other  hand,  was  well  versed  in  the  history  of  our  own 
country,  the  thrilling  events  of  its  early  settlements.  Gen. 
Jackson,  and  the  Indian  Wars.  The  Governor  was  re- 
markable for  being  very  spare.  I  doubt  your  having  seen 
any  one  more  so,  who  was  in  health.     He  often  made  this 


I 


DR.  CIIAS.  MERIWETHER  AND  HON.  JOHN  W.  TYLER.     353 

matter  of  amusement.  Being  on  one  occasion  at  a  f{\shion- 
able  watering-place  among  the  mountains  of  Tennessee, 
he  was  seen  by  some  of  the  mountaineers,  who  had 
brought  venison  and  other  game  to  selL  They  looked  at 
him  inquisitively.  At  length,  one,  a  little  more  forward 
than  the  others,  said :  "  Mister,  please  tell  me  what 
might  be  your  ailment?"  "  I  am  afflicted,"  said  the  Gover- 
nor, "  with  a  swelling  of  the  legs,"  pulling  up  one  leg  of 
his  trowsers  to  show  them.  "  Well,  I  never,"  said  the 
mountaineer,  "  the  water  of  these  springs  is  powerful." 
The  Governor  was  a  most  agreeable  gentleman,  and  one 
whom  Tennessee  delighted  to  honor. 

Dr.  Meriwether's  ideiis  of  economy  differed  from  those 
of  most  men,  both  then  and  now.  He  lived  strictly  on 
his  income.  If  his  crops  brought  him  large  sums  of 
money,  it  was  well ;  if  not,  it  was  likewise  well.  Much  or 
little,  he  never  went  beyond  it.  This  kept  him  free  from 
all  annoyances  of  indebtedness.  He  never  bought  any 
thing  because  it  was  cheap.  I  have  heard  him  say  that  he 
never  had  during  his  life,  purchased  any  thing  to  sell 
again,  or  to  make  profit  on  it,  but  to  keep  for  his  own  use. 
He  disapproved  of  all  kinds  of  gaming  and  betting.  When 
any  one  he  esteemed  bet  money  and  lost  it,  he  always  re- 
joiced, and  would  say,  "  that  was  the  best  that  could  hap- 
pen to  cure  him,  as  no  advice  and  warning  is  likely  to  do 
any  good  while  one  is  successful."  He  was,  at  the  same 
time,  kind-hearted  and  liberal,  and  assisted  your  grand- 
father and  his  family  more  than  any  other  individual 
among  his  friends.  His  wife,  was  also,  a  very  excellent 
character.  As  the  mistress  of  a  family  she  had  no  supe- 
rior. Order  and  system  every  where  prevailed.  "  She  was 
not  afraid  of  the  snow  for  her  household."  It  was  pleasant 


354  ELDER    REUBEN  ROSS. 

to  see  her  servants  in  their  clean,  warm,  and  comfortable 
clothing.  All  their  wants  were  well  supplied,  both  in 
sickness  and  in  health.  The  most  striking  trait  in  her  char- 
acter was  her  extensive,  but  unostentatious  charity.  All 
the  needy  in  her  vicinity  were  her  beneficiaries.  Like  the 
2;lorious  woman  mentioned  in  the  Bible,  "She  stretcheth 
out  her  hand  to  the  poor,  yea,  she  reacheth  forth  her  hand 
to  the  needy."  In  the  day  when  "  secret  things  shall  be 
revealed,"  but  not  till  then,  will  all  her  good  deeds  be 
known.  It  is  pleasant  to  write  and  think  of  characters 
such  as  these.  Your  maternal  grandmother,  Mrs.  Barbara 
Barker,  was  her  sister,  and  resembled  her  in  all  her  ex- 
cellent qualities,  and  benevolent  impulses.  The  two  sisters, 
your  beloved  mother,  and  Dr.  Meriwether  were  baptized 
by  your  grandfather,  and  now,  after  the  journey  of  life, 
sleep  tranquilly  together,  in  the  cemetery  at  Meriville. 

The  Shakers,  a  strange  new  set,  first  made  their  ap- 
pearance in  our  country,  while  I  was  at  Meriville,  and 
were  very  active  for  some  time  in  making  proselytes.  We 
attended  one  of  their  meetings,  at  a  place  then  called  the 
Cross  Roads ;  since,  Graysville.  Several  elders  were  pres- 
ent. Their  costumes  were  plain  and  neat,  though  singu- 
lar ;  their  appearance,  rather  striking. 

We  had  several  discourses  on  that  occasion.  They  said 
that  all  the  world  eventually  would  become  Shakers. 
One  of  them  spelled  atonement  thus,  "  at-one-ment"  and 
said  it  indicated  that  all  people  would,  eventually,  become 
one ;  and  that,  then  Shakerism  would  appear  in  all  its 
beauty  and  excellence.  In  conclusion,  they  sang  one  of 
their  songs  to  a  lively  air  called,  "  Fire  in  the  Moun- 
tains."   The  chorus  of  which  was 


DR.  CHAS.  MERIWETHER  AND  HON.  JOHN  W.  TYLER.  355 

"  Babylon  is  fallen,  ia  fallen,  is  fallen, 
Bab^'lon  is  fallen  to  rise  no  more." 

Some  years  after  this,  being  on  my  way  to  Louisville  I 
visited  their  village,  South  Union,  then  rather  a  new 
place.  At  that  time  dancing  was  one  of  their  public  re- 
ligious exercises.  I  saw  them  perform  on  Sunday.  Two 
lines  were  formed  facing  each  other  and  extending  quite 
across  their  handsome  church.  A  man  with  a  fine  voice 
sang  a  quick  air,  and  all  fell  to  dancing,  keeping  time  to 
the  music,  and  dancing  forward  and  back.  This  they  con- 
tinued with  spirit  until,  on  a  signal,  all  would  stop  a  few 
minutes,  during  which  a  short  exhortation  was  given,  and 
then  dancing  was  resumed.  After  they  had  been  well 
exercised  in  this  way,  they  were  dismissed.  There  was 
no  appearance  of  gayety  whatever ;  yet  still,  I  imagined, 
it  was  rather  a  pleasant  excitement.  I  have  learned 
that  dancing  in  public  has  been  discontinued  by  the 
brotherhood.  The  Shaker  religion  seems  to  have  been  the 
most  absurd  of  all  "  humbugs,''  if  I  may  use  a  slang  term. 
The  credulity  of  a  large  portion  of  mankind  may  be  re- 
lied on  to  an  almost  unlimited  extent,  but  it  was  a.sking 
too  much  to  require  belief  that  the  old  Lady,  Anne  Lee, 
was  a  second  "  manifestation  of  Christ."  This,  was  bad 
enough,  but  when  they  forbade  "  marrying  and  giving  in 
marriage,"  many  considering  this  as  being  mostly  what 
they  were  made  for,  there  was  no  longer  a  hope  of  suc- 
cess. Mahomet  and  Brigham  Young  understood  human 
nature  better,  and  were  "  wiser  in  their  generation"  than 
the  Shakers.  Shakerism  must  in  the  nature  of  the  case 
die  out. 

The  school  at  Meriville  closed  some  six  or  eight  months 
after  I  entered.    Li  the  mean  time  Hon.  John  W.  Tyler,  a 


356  ELDER  REUBEN   ROSS. 

Virginian  by  birth,  had  opened  a  school  in  the  vicinit3^ 
To  this  I  was  sent.  I  soon  came  to  admire  and  esteem  our 
teacher  very  much.  He  reached  my  ideal  of  a  gentleman 
in  every  respect.  His  knowledge  of  the  Latin  was  ac- 
curate. He  translated  with  great  ease  and  elegance,  in 
strict  accordance  with  its  idiom  and  grammatical  construc- 
tion. It  was  delightful  to  hear  him  translate  a  fine  passage 
from  the  classic  authors. 

After  reading  Latin  with  him  for  several  months,  I  was 
one  day  expressing  regret,  at  not  being  able  to  read  the 
Greek  also ;  he  then  remarked  that  he  once  commenced 
learning  that  language,  but  for  some  reason  discontinued 
it,  .and  added  that  if  I  was  willing,  he  would  resume  it, 
and  we  would  study  it  together.  I  went  into  the  arrange- 
ment with  pleasure,  hunted  up  the  old  Greek  Grammar 
given  me  by  Judge  Brown,  and  committed  it  to  memory  ; 
then  with  some  difiiculty,  procured  the  "  Lexicon  Schrev- 
elii,"  the  meaning  of  every  word  in  which  was  given  in  Lat- 
in, and  also  a  very  valuable  Greek  Testament,  with  a  Latin 
version,  and  took  my  first  lesson  in  John's  gospel,  which 
we  read  through.  We  declined  all  the  nouns,  pronouns, 
adjectives  ;  conjugated  all  the  verbs,  pointed  out  the  princi- 
pal parts  of  the  tenses  formed  from  them,  and  also  the  man- 
ner of  formation,  even  to  the  "  Paulo  post  futuruin,"  that 
terror  of  the  school-boy  of  those  days,  and  in  search  of 
which  an  old  Greek  student  is  said  to  have  lost  his  wits. 
Westenhall's  Grammar  gave  us  a  specimen  of  the  Greek 
Tree,  which  consisted  of  the  root  of  the  verb,  and  all  the 
tenses  or  branches  formed  from  it.  We  took  great  plea- 
sure in  seeing  this  tree  grow  up  under  our  pencils,  and 
spread  out  its  branches,  one  after  another,  until  it  attained 
perfection.     You  must    understand  that   Mr.  Tyler  was 


DR.  CIIAS.  MERIWETHER  AND  HON.  JOHN  W.  TYLER.    357 

then  a  young  man,  only  five  or  six  years  older  than  myself, 
so  that  there  was  a  good  deal  of  sympathy  between 
master  and  pupil.  I  dwell  the  longer  on  these  small 
matters,  first,  because  they  go  to  show  the  truth  of  the  old 
adage — "  Where  there  is  a  will  there  is  a  way,"  and  also, 
because  it  is  pleasant  to  think  of  those  old  school-boy  days, 
in  the  morning  of  life. 

After  John's  Gospel  we  read  other  books,  Graeca 
Minora  and  Majora,  Lucian's  Dialogues,  the  Anabasis  and 
CyropcBcZia  of  Xenophon  etc.,  and  finally  plunged  into  The 
Iliad,  that  grand  old  epic  whose  sublimity  and  beauty, 
notwithstanding  its  gray  antiquity,  remain  and  will  re- 
main, a  marvel  and  a  mystery ;  and  which,  like  the  deity 
it  describes, 

"  Its  glory  shrouds, 
In  gloomy  tempest  and  night  of  clouds.'' 

Mr.  Tyler,  from  this  time  continued  at  the  head  of  a 
large  and  flourishing  school,  till  his  death  in  1866,  except 
the  years  he  was  in  the  Tennessee  Legislature,  both  as 
senator  and  member  of  the  lower  house.  His  death  filled 
the  whole  community  with  lasting  sorrow. 

Between  him  and  his  family  and  your  grandfather,  there 
were  for  many  years  relations  of  a  pleasant  kind,  the  re- 
sult of  mutual  esteem  and  friendship.  I  always  considered 
him  a  superior,  and  in  many  respects  a  remarkable,  man. 
While  all  proceeded  smoothly  in  his  school,  he  was  singu- 
larly mild  and  gentle.  But  when  insubordination  or  defi- 
ance made  its  appearance — which  he  was  quick  to  observe 
— and  the  crisis  came,  he  met  it  with  a  nerve  that  never 
failed  fully  to  impress  all  with  the  knowledge  that  he 
was  "master  of  the  situation."     On  account  of  the  fine 

16* 


358  ELDER   REUBEN  ROSS. 

qualities  of  both  his  head  and  heart  he  was  greatly 
beloved  by  his  pupils,  and  "Old  Luke,"  as  he  was  famil- 
iarly called  among  the  boys,  will  long  be  remembered 
with  affection  and  tenderness  by  many,  who  have  not  for- 
gotten the  happy  school  boy  days  spent  under  his  instruc- 
tion. 


CHAPTER    XXXVI. 

ALEXANDER     CAMPBELL. 

For  several  years  after  the  organization  of  Bethel  Asso- 
ciation, all  looked  bright  and  cheering,  .  Peace  reigned  iu 
all  her  borders.  New  churches  were  constituted,  and  her 
membership  was  constantly  on  the  increase.  Not  a  cloud 
was  visible  on  the  distant  horizon.  The  most  experienced 
mariner  would  have  predicted  a  long  and  prosperous  voy- 
age over  a  tranquil  sea.  But  even  then,  fiir  away  among 
the  distant  AUeghanies,  a  storm  was  gathering,  destined 
to  try  the  timbers  of  the  goodly  ship. 

The  storm  king,  on  the  present  occasion,  was  the  cele- 
brated Alexander  Campbell.  He  was  a  native  of  Ireland, 
born  in  1788  in  the  county  of  Antrim.  He  was  finely  edu- 
cated, and  possessed  talents  of  the  highest  order. 

He  landed  in  New  York  city  in  1809,  having  in  charge 
his  mother  and  sisters,  all  on  their  way  to  join  the  hus- 
band and  father,  who  had  come  out  two  years  previously 
to  prepare  a  home  for  them  on  their  arrival.  The  history 
of  their  voyage  is  of  uncommon  interest,  especially  that 
relating  to  their  shipwreck  during  a  storm  on  the  coast  of 
Scotland,  which  caused  a  long  separation  between  the 
father  and  his  family.  From  New  York  they  proceeded 
to  Philadelphia — thence,  across  the  Alleghany  Mountains 
to  Western  Pennsylvania,  where  Elder  Thomas  Campbell, 
the  father,  attracted  by  the  romantic  beauty  and  fertility 
of  the  country,  had  selected  his  home. 

359 


360  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

He  was  a  niinister  of  the  gospel  belonging  to  the  de- 
nomination of  Christians  known  as  the  Seceders,  who  se- 
ceded from  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Scothxnd  in  1733, 
on  account  of  their  opposition  to  what  was  called  the  "  law 
of  Patronage."  All  accounts  describe  him  as  an  excellent 
character.  He  was  distinguished  alike  for  learning,  talents, 
philanthropy,  and  piety. 

In  emigrating  to  this  country  he  seems  to  have  had  two 
objects  in  view — providing  a  home  for  his  now  large 
family,  where  land  was  both  cheap  and  fertile,  and  hoping, 
or  rather  dreaming,  that  he  might  here  be  instrumental  in 
bringing  the  various  religious  denominations  together  in 
one  great  brotherhood,  where  all  would  see  "  eye  to  eye, 
and  speak  the  same  thing,"  preparatory  to  the  introduction 
of  the  Millennial  glory.  There  is  reason  also  to  believe 
that  he  had  largely  imbued  the  mind  of  his  son  Alexander 
with  this  idea,  which  in  after  years  suggested  the  name  of 
his  periodical,  the' Millennial  Harbinger. 

When  Thomas  Campbell,  in  1807,  reached  Washington 
County,  Pennsylvania,  he  was  happy  to  find  among  the 
pioneer  settlers  a  number  of  his  Seceder  brethren,  who  had 
already  organized  presbyteries  and  a  synod.  They  re- 
ceived him  with  open  arms,  and  considered  themselves 
highly  favored  in  having  among  them  so  good  a  man  and 
a  preacher  so  able ;  and,  as  was  natural,  they  anticipated 
much  happiness  in  the  future.  But  these  hopes  were  not 
to  be  realized,  for  Elder  Campbell  soon  began  his  reforma- 
tory measures,  by  permitting  persons  to  partake  of  the 
Lord's  Supper,  who,  by  the  rules  of  his  church,  were  not 
authorized  to  do  so.  This  produced  trouble,  and  he  was 
finally  summoned  for  trial  before  the  Presbytery,  which 
decided  against  him,  when  he  took  an  appeal  to  the  Synod. 


ALEXANDER  CAMPBELL.  361 

Finding  this  also  unfavorable,  he  seceded  from  his  brother 
Seceders,  and,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  carried  off  a  num- 
ber of  his  brethren  with  him. 

The  turn  things  had  taken  seems  to  have  perplexed  the 
old  man  greatly,  finding  almost  at  the  commencement 
that  he  was  about  to  add  another  denomination  to  the 
number  which,  according  to  hi.-?  views,  w;i8  already  far  too 
great,  and  which  he  had  fondly  hoped  to  reduce.  Finally, 
however,  as  there  seemed  no  alternative,  he  formed  his 
followers  into  a  body,  not  to  be  called  a  church,  but  "  A 
Christian  Association,"  to  meet  at  stated  periods  for  wor- 
ship. He  recommended  to  this  body  the  adoption  of  the 
formula,  that  "  When  the  Bible  speaks  they  would  speak, 
and  when  the  Bible  is  silent  they  would  be  silent."  This 
formula  Dr.  Richardson,  Alexander  Campbell's  biographer* 
considers  as  containing  the  germ  of  the  "  current  Refor- 
mation." Here  he  began  to  foresee  the  difficulties  that  lay 
in  the  way  of  his  progress.  For  no  sooner  had  he  an- 
nounced this  principle  in  the  meeting  than  Andrew 
Munro,  a  shrewd  Scotchman,  rose  and  said  :  "  Mr.  Camp- 
bell, if  we  adopt  that  as  a  basis,  there  is  an  end  of  infant 
baptism."  Mr.  Campbell  replied,  in  substance :  "  If  in- 
fant baptism  is  not  found  in  the  Bible,  according  to  our 
rule,  we  must  give  it  up."  Here  another  brother  arose, 
and,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  said  ;  "  I  hope  I  may  never 
see  the  day  when  my  heart  will  renounce  that  blessed  say- 
ing of  the  Bible :  *  Suffer  little  children  to  come  unto 
me,  and  forbid  them  not,  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.'' '  The  Seceders  were  thorough  Pedobaptists. 
However,  by  common  consent,  they  agreed  to  waive  the 
subject  of  infant  baptism  for  the  present,  and  to  publish  a 
"  Declaration  or  Address  "  to  the  people. 


362  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

Elder  Thomas  Campbell,  still  feeling  uncomfortable  in 
the  position  he  and  his  little  flock  occupied,  next  con- 
cluded to  make  an  overture  to  the  Presbyterians  to  unite 
with  them,  they  differing  but  little  from  the  Seceders  in 
faith  and  practice.  This  movement  was  disapproved  by 
his  son,  Alexander,  who  had  by  this  time  joined  his  father 
and  took  a  deep  interest 'in  what  was  going  on.  The 
Presbyterian  Synod,  fearing  probably  that,  on  account  of 
their  latitudinarian  and  reformatory  proclivities,  they 
would  occasion  trouble,  declined  to  admit  them  into  their 
communion.  This  called  forth  a  severe  philippic  from 
Alexander  Campbell  against  the  Presbyterian  Synod, 
whence  may  be  dated  his  war  with  that  influential  denomi- 
nation, which  was  waged  with  much  vigor  on  both  sides 
for  many  years. 

The  Christian  Association  now  determined  to  form  them- 
selves into  a  regular  church  organization,  chose  Elder 
Thomas  Campbell  as  their  pastor,  elected  deacons,  and 
ordained  Alexander  Campbell  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel, 
who  immediately  began  to  preach  in  the  surrounding 
country  with  marked  ability. 

The  members  of  the  "  Brush  Run  Church,"  as  this  was 
called,  were  at  first  Pedobaptists ;  but  what  Andrew 
Munro  had  said,  seems  to  have  set  them  to  examining  the 
subject,  and  they  found,  as  they  thought,  that  there  was 
no  authority  in  the  Bible  for  infant  sprinkling,  and  they 
were  all  finally  immersed,  Father  Campbell  and  Alexander 
included.*     Some  of  them  at  first,  however,  did  not  come 

*  This  comprehensive  statement  doe.s  not  enter  into  details.  The  his- 
torical fact  is  that  Thomas  and  .Alexander  Campbell  and  others  received 
immersion  June  12,  1812,  at  the  hands  of  Elder  Mathias  Luce,  a  regular 
Baptist  minister,  a  pastor  in  the  Redstone  Association. 


ALEXANDER  CAMPBELL.  3G3 

to  believe  in  immersion  so  readily  as  afterward.  On  one 
occasion,  when  several  were  to  be  baptized,  Father  Camp- 
bell took  them  down  to  Buffalo  Creek,  to  a  place  where 
the  water  was  quite  deep,  coming  up  to  the  shoulders.  He 
himself  did  not  enter  the  water,  but  stood  up  on  a  root 
that  projected  a  little  over  the  surface,  and  bent  their  heads 
down  until  they  were  buried  in  the  liquid  grave,  repeating 
in  each  case  the  baptismal  formula.  This  was  now,  essen- 
tially, a  Baptist  Church,  Calvinistic  in  doctrine, — as  the 
Baptists  generally  were  of  that  day, — opposed  to  sprink- 
Img,  believing  immersion  alone  the  proper  act,  and  be- 
lievers only  the  proper  subjects  of  baptism.  But  for  some 
cause  it  did  not  seem  to  take  root  and  flourish,  notwith- 
standing it  had  two  of  the  ablest  preachers  in  all  the  coun- 
try. Its  membership  being  at  this  time  only  about  twenty- 
eight.  Father  Campbell  felt  quite  distressed  at  their  slow 
progress,  and  still  greatly  desired  a  union  with  some  reli- 
gious body.     This  was  eventually  effected. 

There  was  at  that  time,  1813,  in  the  rich  valleys  among 
the  western  slopes  of  the  Alleghanies,  a  number  of  Baptist 
churches  organized  into  the  Redstone  Association,  so 
called  from  an  old  Indian  fort  of  that  name,  on  the  Monon- 
gahela  River,  sixty  miles  above  Pittsburgh,  where  the 
town  of  Brownsville  now  stands.  This  Association  num- 
bered over  thirty  churches  and  about  eleven  hundred 
members. 

From  what  we  can  learn  of  the  "  laity  "  of  this  Associa- 
tion they  seem  to  have  been  a  quiet  and  orderly  body  of 
Christians,  fond  of  reading  the  Bible,  the  Pilgrims  Pro- 
gress, the  Holy  War,  Booth's  writings,  and  other  standard 
works  of  Baptist  literature,  and  guarding  with  special  care 
the   baptism  instituted  by  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church 


364  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

himself.  But,  although  this  honorable  testimony  was 
borne  to  the  character  of  the  members  of  these  churches 
by  Elder  A.  Campbell,  he  gives  an  invidious  picture  of  the 
"  clergy  "  of  the  Redstone  Association  when  he  says : 

■'  The  people  were  much  more  highly  appreciated  by  me,  than  their 
ministry.  Indeed,  the  ministry  of  most  sects,  is,  generally,  in  the 
aggregate,  much  the  worst  part  of  them.  It  was  certainly  so,  in  the 
Redstone  Association  thirty  years  ago.  They  were  little  men  in  big 
office.  The  office  did  not  suit  them.*  They  had  a  wrong  idea,  too,  of 
what  was  wanting.  They  seemed  to  think  that  a  broad  rim  on  their 
hat  instead  of  a  narrow  one,  a  prolongation  of  the  face,  and  a  fictitious 
gravity,  a  longer  and  more  emphatic  pronunciation  of  certain  words, 
rather  than  spiritual  knowledge,  etc.,  *    *   were  the  grand  desiderata." 

In  the  above  we  have  an  illustration  of  that  bitterness  of 
feeling  towards  "  clergymen  "  that  so  much  marred  the 
beauty  of  his  Christian  character. 

Still  feeling  isolated  and  lonely,  Father  Campbell  and 
his  little  flock  next  turned  their  eyes  to  the  Redstone 
Association,  and  petitioned  for  union  with  them.  Admit- 
ting the  Baptists  to  be  harmless  as  doves,  they  certainly 
were  not  wise  as  serpents.  For  unlike  the  Presbyterians 
and  Seceders,  they  received  them  with  open  arms,  and 
rejoiced,  no  doubt,  at  having  in  their  number,  those  two 
able  preachers.  But  this  proved  to  be  a  fatal  step  to 
them,  and  was  the  "  beginning  of  their  end."  "  The  flital 
machine  had  entered  their  city." 

Elder  A.  Campbell  soon  preached  doctrines  that  sounded 
strange  in  their  old  Baptist  ears.  By  some  these  new 
doctrines  were  approved,  by  others  condemned,  and  war 
was  inaugurated.  Those  opposed  to  Elder  Campbell's  views, 
at  one  time  thought  they  had  matured  a  plan  to  excom- 
municate him,  or   throw   him  overboard,  as  the  frightened 


ALEXANDER   CAMPBELL.  3G5 

mariners  did  Jonah  of  old,  during  the  storm  that  throat- 
onod  them  with  destruction.  But  they  Httle  know  their 
man.  When  they  were  about  to  take  the  vote  for  this 
purpose,  to  their  amazement,  they  found  that  Jonah  had 
ah'oady  gone  on  board  another  ship  that  was  near  by, — 
that  is,  had  transferred  himself  to  the  Mahoning  Associa- 
tion ;  and  thereby  having  checkmated  his  adversaries,  as 
Dr.  Richards  says,  was  out  of  their  jurisdiction  and  still 
in  the  Baptist  denomination.  Still  the  fight  went  bravely 
on  among  the  Redstone  people,  long  after  the  cause  had 
left  them,  and  it  continued  till  scarce  a  vestige  of  the  Red- 
stone Association  was  left.  One  can  but  feel  sorrowful  at 
their  fate,  when  he  remembers  how  cozy  and  comfortable 
they  were  before  the  evil  days  came  upon  them.  We  may 
say,  in  passing,  that  Father  Campbell,  when  he  saw  his 
little  bark,  that  had  so  long  been  drii'ting  about  at  sea, 
safely  anchored,  gave  the  helm  into  the  hands  of  his  son, 
and  was  no  more  seen  actively  engaged  in  its  manage- 
ment. 

For  several  years  after  Elder  A.  Campbell  united  with 
the  Baptists,  he  |)reached  a  good  deal,  and  his  reputation 
for  learning  and  talents  was  on  the  increase.  In  1820,  he 
and  a  Presbyterian  minister  named  Walker  had  a  debate 
on  the  subject  of  Baptism,  in  which  he  gained  additional 
laurels  and  proved  himself  to  be  an  able  debater. 

The  year  1823  was  an  important  era  in  the  life  of  A. 
Campbell.  In  this  year  he  held  his  celebrated  debate  with 
Pv,ev.  Wm.  C.  McCalla,  also  a  Presbyterian  minister  ;  the 
subject  again  was  Baptism,  and  again  he  obtained  fresh 
laurels.  It  was  in  this  debate  he  turned  the  laugh  upon 
his  adversary  (who  had  been  saying  a  good  deal  about  the 
unhcalthiness  of  the  practice  of  going  down  into  the  water 


366  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

and  being  immersed),  by  requesting  the  audience  to  look 
first  at  Elder  Jeremiah  Vardeman,  one  of  the  moderators, 
a  man  of  magnificent  proportions,  over  six  feet  high,  and 
weighing  about  three  hundred  pounds,  who  had  perhaps 
immersed  a  greater  number  of  converts  than  any  other 
man  in  America, — and  then,  at  a  little,  dry  Presbyterian 
minister  (another  moderator),  sitting  near  him,  who  during 
all  his  ministerial  career  had  been  sprinkling  babies,  and 
then  decide  on  the  unwholesomeness  of  immersion. 

In  this  year  also,  the  publication  of  the  "Christian  Bap- 
tist "  was  begun  by  Elder  Campbell,  which  had  a  wide  cir- 
culation, and  added  to  his  reputation,  by  proving  him  to 
be  a  ready  writer  as  well  as  an  able  debater.  This  work 
created  considerable  interest  among  all  religious  parties, 
especially  among  the  Baptists,  many  of  whom  considered 
some  of  its  teachings  not  so  much  reformatory  as  unsound 
and  revolutionary. 

Although  the  Baptists  in  Southern  Kentucky  felt  a 
little  uneasy  at  the  boldness  and  novelty  of  some  of  his 
views,  yet,  as  they  thought,  he  had  defended  them  so  gal- 
lantly against  the  Pedobaptists,  their  old  hereditary  oppo- 
nents, they  could  not  conscientiously  turn  against  him,  by 
saying  anything  to  his  disadvantage.  He  was  the  pride 
of  their  hearts,  especially  of  those  who  were  present  at  the 
McCalla  debate,  which  was  held  in  Washington,  Mason 
County,  Ky. ;  after  which  he  occasionally  came  down  and 
preached  among  us. 

In  one  of  these  visits,  he  came  as  far  south  as  Elktoii, 
Todd  County,  and  preached  in  the  old  court  house.  The 
house  was  closely  packed.  His  reputation  bringing  many 
from  distant  points,  I  rode  fifteen  miles  to  hear  him  on 
that  occasion. 


ALEXANDER  CAMPBELL.  367 

He  was  then  somewhat  out  of  health,  and  remained 
seated  most  of  the  time  while  speaking.  The  people  gen- 
erally, were  disappointed,  as  they  had  come  with  the  ex- 
pectation of  hearing  a  great  display  of  oratory,  and  his  dis- 
course happened  to  be  rather  didactic  on  that  occasion. 
He  told  us  of  the  Temple  and  the  utensils  used  in  it,  and 
what  they  symbolized.  I  remember  becoming  greatly 
interested  in  what  he  said  of  those  things.  Toward  the 
close  of  his  discourse,  he  rose  to  his  feet  and  treated  us  to 
some  very  fine  oratory,  in  which  Kentuckians  delighted 
especially  in  those  days,  On  leaving  the  court  house, 
after  the  discourse  ended,  while  standing  near  the  door,  some 
one  called  my  name,  and  on  turning  around,  I  found  it  was 
our  old  family  friend,  Mr.  William  Dickinson,  whom  you 
remember  no  doubt,  and  a  great  admirer  of  your  grand- 
father. He  asked  me  my  opinion  of  the  discourse?  I 
told  him  I  thought  it  very  fine.  "  Yes,"  he  said,  "  I  sup- 
pose it  was,  but  your  grandfather  can  beat  him  any  day 
in  the  year,  give  him  an  even  start."  I  replied,  I  had 
my  doubts  about  that.  He  said,  "  I  have  none  whatever," 
but  I  suppose  he  thought  differently  afterwards,  as  he 
finally  went  over  to  the  Reformers.  This  was  the  gentle- 
man with  whom  Elder  Robert  Rutherford  resided  till  his 
death.  I  saw  Mr.  Campbell  twice  after  this,  once  at 
Doctor  Meriwether's  and  again  at  Oikadelphia  Church, 
where  I  heard  him  preach  a  second  time.  Your  mother  and 
I,  with  a  number  of  others,  spent  the  evening  with  him  at 
Doctor  Meriwether's  at  the  time  alluded  to,  and  heard  him 
converse  with  much  interest  and  pleasure.  A  gentleman 
present,  inclined  to  infidelity,  got  into  an  argument,  and 
Elder  Campbell  soon  disposed  of  his  case  in  a  very  pleasant 
way,  leaving  no  disagreeable  feeling.     He  was  a  superb 


368  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS 

talker,  and  passed  gracefully  from  one  interesting  subject 
to  another,  till  a  late  hour  of  the  night. 

Some  years  after  this,  when  on  his  way  to  Nashville, 
he  again  visited  Doctor  Meriwether,  spending  several  days, 
and  a  messenger  was  sent,  requesting  your  grandfather  to  go 
and  be  with  him  while  there.  He  did  so,  and  they  spent 
two  nights  and  a  day  together,  during  which  interview, 
they  talked  over  all  the  new  issues  that  had  been  raised 
by  Mr.  Campbell  concerning  faith,  baptism,  and  spiritual 
influence. 

After  your  grandfather  returned  home,  desiring  to  hear 
his  report,  I  rode  over  to  see  him.  He  said,  he  had  been 
very  favorably  impressed  by  Elder  Campbell,  both  as  a 
gentleman  and  a  Christian,  and  added  that  "  when  he  un- 
folded his  views  in  conversation,  they  seemed  less  objection- 
able, than  when  seen  in  print."  Being  asked  if  he  thought 
union  and  harmony  could  be  preserved  among  the  Baptists, 
he  shook  his  head  and  said,  he  "  feared  not,"  and  that 
much  trouble  was  in  store  for  the  Baptist  churches,  and 
that  many  friendships  of  long  standing  were  destined  to 
be  broken  up.  This  he  felt  very  acutely.  After  this  Mr. 
Campbell  at  one  time  would  seem  to  moderate  a  little,  and 
then  again  to  go  to  greater  extremes.  In  his  discussions 
with  Elders  Semple,  Meredith,  Broadus,  and  others,  at 
times,  he  would  so  express  himself  as  to  encourage  lio})e 
of  their  coming  to  an  understanding.  He,  and  old  Bishop 
Semple,  as  he  was  sometimes  called,  went  so  far  as  to  get 
in  the  same  bed  and  sleep  together.*  This  was  really, 
very  encourageing,  and  it  would  seem  that  some  good 
ought  to  have  come  of  it,  but  unfortunately,  none  ever  did. 

*  See  Memoirs  of  Mr.  Campbell  by  Dr.  Richardson. 


I 


GHAPTEE,  XXXVII. 

DISSENT    FROM    ELDER   CAMPBELL. 

I  PRorosE  now  to  notice  some  of  the  points  wherein 
your  grandfather  differed  from  Elder  Alexander  Camp- 
bell. These  were  often  the  subjects  of  conversation  during 
the  rise  and  progress  of  what  was  called  the  "Current 
Eeformation." 

He  had  read  with  care  all  that  Elder  Campbell  had 
written  and  published  both  in  The  Christian  Baptist 
and  in  The  Millennial  Harbinger.  And  when,  in  1835, 
he  published  a  small  volume  entitled  :  "  Christianity  He- 
stored,"  he  perused  that  also  with  special  care,  as  it  was 
supposed  to  contain  his  more  mature  views.  He  was  now 
fully  satisfied  that  they  were  unsound  on  several  subjects, 
especially  so  in  regard  to  faith,  baptism,  and  spiritual 
influence. 

As  to  faith,  he  diflfered  from  Elder  Campbell  in  this : 
That  the  Bible  clearly  teaches  that  the  forgiveness  of  sins 
is  predicated  on  faith  in  its  true,  scriptural  import,  in 
which  is  always  implied  a  disposition  to  love  and  obey 
God  :  whereas.  Elder  Campbell  taught  that  no  one's  sins 
are  forgiven  unless  he  is  baptized,  immersed  in  water. 
It  was  your  grandfather's  custom,  in  order  to  determine 
what  the  Bible  taught  on  any  subject,  to  group  together  a 
sufficient  number  of  passages  bearing  on  it,  like  so  many 
independent  witnesses  to  a  particular  fact.     This  method 

3G9 


370  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

would  leave  on  the  mind  a  conviction  little  less  strong 
than  demonstration.  Some  of  the  texts  he  cited  to  prove 
that  forgiveness  of  sin  was  predicated  on  faith,  were  as 
follows  : 

"  And,  as  Mosos  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  evon  so  must 
the  Son  of  man  be  lifted  up  .  Tliat  whosoever  believeth  on  him  should 
not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life." 

"  He  that  believeth  on  him  is  not  condemned  ;  but  he  that  believeth 
not,  is  condemned  already,  because  he  hath  not  believed  in  the  uaine  of 
the  only  begotten  Son  of  God." 

"  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life  ;  and  he  that  be- 
lieveth not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life  ;  but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on 
him." 

"  Jesus  said  unto  her  ;  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life.  He  that 
believeth  on  me,  though  he  were  dead  yet  shall  he  live." 

"  By  grace  are  ye  saved,  through  faith."  "  And  whosoever  believeth 
on  me  shall  never  die."  "  Whosoever  believeth  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ, 
is  born  of  God."  "  For  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ  ;  for 
it  is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth,  to  the 
Jew  first,  and  also  to  the  Greek." 

Now  it  seems,  as  your  grandfather  would  say,  little  less 
than  incredible  that  any  one  should  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  salvation  is  not  predicated  on  faith,  after  reading 
these  texts  and  many  others  like  them.  And  if  language 
like  this  could  be  explained  away,  who  can  say  that  any- 
thing certain  can  be  learned  from  the  Sacred  Oracles  ? 
He  would  remark  that,  not  only  the  voice  of  Revelation 
teaches  this  great  truth,  but  Reason  also.  The  faith  of  the 
Bible  that  brings  salvation  is  a  faith  in  Christ,  "  that 
works  by  love,"  disposing  men  to  love,  reverence,  and  obe- 
dience. This  brings  them  into  the  relation  of  children, 
whereby  they  can  say,  "  Abba,  Father,"  for  the  apostle 
says,  "  Ye  are  all  the  children  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ 
Je«5us,"  and  hence,  "  heirs  of  God,  and  joint  heirs  with 


DISSENT   FROM    ELDER  CAMPBELL.  371 

Christ."  Just  as  Noah's  faith  moved  him  to  build  the 
ark,  as  God  commanded,  and  saved  him  and  his  family 
from  being  swept  away  by  the  deluge  ;  so  does  faith  in 
Christ, — it  works  by  love  and  brings  the  sinner  into  fel- 
lowship with  God  and  with  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.  They 
are  then  "  in  Christ ;"  arid  thus  by  grace  are  they  saved, 
through  faith.  Hence,  he  would  say,  both  reason  and 
revelation  predicate  pardon  and  eternal  life  on  the  faith  of 
the  gospel.  But,  since  the  Bible  speaks  of  a  living  faith, 
or  "  faith  that  works  by  love,"  and  a  dead  faith  which  is 
of  no  value,  every  one  should  take  head  to  the  kind  of  faith 
Joe  possesses.  The  former  he  compared  to  a  tree  planted 
by  a  fountain,  bending  under  its  load  of  fruits;  the  latter, 
to  a  blighted  trunk,  with  decayed  branches  and  withered 
leaves.  The  man  who  has  living  faith — the  faith  that 
looks  to  Christ,  and  rests  in  him,  and  longs  to  be  with 
him — he  likened  to  one  who,  having  confidence  that  there 
is  a  better  country,  with  more  fertile  soil,  a  milder  climate 
and  more  salubrious  air,  begins  without  delay  his  journey 
to  this  "  better  land  ;"  while  he  whose  faith  is  dead,  never 
moves  away  from  the  bleak  and  sterile  soil  on  which  he 
first  drew  breath.  Many,  he  feared,  who  simply  admitted 
or  assented  to  the  truths  of  the  gospel,  mistook  this  for 
true  faith.  No  one,  though,  need  be  deceived  on  this 
momentous  subject.  If  his  faith  leads  him  to  love  and 
reverence  God,  and  to  walk  in  all  the  ordinances  and  com- 
mandments of  the  Lord,  blameless,  he  need  have  no  fears 
on  the  subject.  And  of  this  no  one  need  have  doubt,  as  it 
is  a  matter  of  consciousness.  "  He  has  the  witness  within 
himself."  One  can  as  certainly  know  that  he  loves  the 
Heavenly  Father,  as  that  he  loves  an  earthly  friend  and 
benefactor. 


372  ELDER   REUBEN  ROSS. 

According  to  your  grandfather's  views,  the  faith  which 
saves  the  soul  involves  not  only  the  assent  of  the  under- 
standing to  the  truths  of  the  gospel,  but  the  consent  of  the 
will,  and  the  approval  of  the  heart.  He  thought  Mr, 
Campbell's  view  defective,  because  it  makes  faith  almost 
exclusively  an  intellectual  exercise.  If  "  faith  works  by 
love,"  it  has  to  do  with  the  heart,  for  it  is  the  heart  that 
loves.  It  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  enlarge,  as  you  can 
see  wherein  your  grandfcither  and  Mr.  Campbell  differed.* 

Elder  Campbell's  views  on  baptism,  also,  were  objected 
to.     On  page  213  of  "  Christianity  Restored,"  he  says  : 

"  If,  then,  the  present  forgiveness  of  sins  be  a  privilege  and  a  right  of 
those  under  the  new  constitution  in  the  kingdom  of  Jesus,  and  if  being 
*  born  again,'  and  being  '  born  of  the  water  and  the  Spirit'  is  necessary 
to  admission  ;  and  if  being  born  of  water  means  immersion,  as  is  clearly 
proved  by  all  witnesses,  then  remission  of  sins  in  this  life  cannot  be  re- 
ceived or  enjoyed  previous  to  baptism.  •  •  The  remission 
of  sins,  or  coming  into  a  state  of  acceptance,  being  one  of  tlie  present  im. 
munities  of  the  kingdom,  cannot  be  received  or  enjoyed  by  any  one  pre- 
vious to  baptism." 

*  It  is  well  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  Christ  is  the  object  of  gospel 
faith.  He  who  exercises  this  faith  not  only  believes  what  the  gospel 
says  about  Christ,  but  believes  in  him.  Faith  is  a  personal  matter,  not 
merely  because  it  is  the  act  of  a  person,  but  because  Christ,  its  object,  is 
a  person.  No  belief  of  any  propositions  concerning  Christ  has  any  sav- 
ing element  in  it,  apart  from  faith  in  him  as  a  personal  Saviour.  Faith 
is  a  trustful  reception  of  Christ  as  the  only  Saviour.  This  faith  follows 
repentance.  There  is,  of  course,  a  faith  that  precedes  repentance.  That 
is  to  say,  a  man  must  believe  there  is  a  God  against  whom  he  has  sinned, 
before  he  can  repent;  but  this  differs  from  faith  in  Christ.  It  is  only  a 
preparation  for  the  exercise  of  faith  in  Christ.  He  who  is  convinced  that 
he  is  a  ruined  sinner,  in  perishing  need  of  a  Saviour,  is  ready  to  give  to 
the  Lord  Jesus  that  reception  which  the  gos]iol  claims  for  him.  Receiv- 
ing Christ  is  inseparable  from  love  to  him,  and  therefore  "  faith  works 
by  love."  J.  M.  V. 


DISSENT   FROM    ELDER   CAMPBELL.  373 

Here,  then,  Elder  Campbell  unequivocally  teaches,  that 
without  immersion  there  is  no  remission  of  sins. 

No  Baptist,  perhaps,  living  or  dead,  had  ever  believed 
or  even  dreamed  of  a  dogma  like  this  before  ;  and,  conse- 
quently, it  fell  like  a  bombshell  in  their  ranks.  Its  very 
novelty,  though,  seems  to  have  had  a  kind  of  fascination 
for  some. 

Notwithstanding  the  great  importance  your  grandfather 
always  attached  to  baptism,  in  its  proper  place  and  import, 
he  never  believed  that  the  forgiveness  of  sins  was  predi- 
cated on  it.  Faith,  in  its  Bible  import,  as  already  stated, 
and  no  bodily  act  whatever  that  men  can  perform,  is  the 
condition  of  salvation.  Men  ought  to  be  baptized,  as  an 
emblem  or  symbol  of  death  to  sin,  and  resurrection  to  a 
new  life,  and  not  to  obtain  the  forgiveness  of  their  sins. 
But  are  not  the  "  Reformers  "  beginning  to  reconsider  this 
doctrine  ?  An  article  has  recently  appeared  from  the  pen 
of  Henry  T.  Anderson,  whom  we  used  to  hear  preach  so 
often  at  our  old  Oikadelphia  Church,  in  the  stormy  days 
of  the  beginning  of  the  Reformation,  and  who  was  then 
considered  one  of  the  most  uncompromising  advocates  of 
Elder  Campbell's  views,  in  which  he  says: 

"  Baptism  in  water  for  the  remission  of  sin  can  never  be  sustained, 
for  water  afifects  only  the  body.  But  the  blood  of  Christ  affects  the 
heart,  as  seen  in  the  words  above  quoted,  and  can  affect  the  heart  only 
through  faith."  *  *  *  "Id  Rom  6:4,6,  we  have  language  that 
teaches  the  meaning  of  baptism.  It  is  the  likeness  of  Christ's  death  and 
resurrection.  Is  it  not  then  a  symbol,  or  if  any  one  prefer,  an  emblem  ? 
These  two  places  are  sufficient  for  our  purpose.  Christ  died,  was  buried, 
and  rose  again.  We  are  buried  in  water  and  raised  again  as  a  likeness 
of  what  he  did.  But  the  likeness  of  his  death  can  never  affect  our  sins. 
We  must  apprehend  him,  lay  hold  on  him  hy  faith,  and  be  baptized  in 
water  as  a  symbol  of  our  being  baptized  into  him  in  Spirit.'* 

17 


374  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

Thus  we  see  that  Elder  Anderson,  a  veteran  in  the  army 
of  the  Reformation,  and  a  laborious  student  of  the  Bible, 
having  given  what  is  tliought  to  be  an  excellent  transla- 
tion of  the  New  Testament  from  the  original  Greek,  after 
the  lapse  of  forty  years,  holds  the  identical  views  your 
grandfather  did  from  the  beginning,  namely,  that  bap- 
tism is  a  symbol  or  emblem  of  the  forgiveness  of  sins, 
and  not  tliat  by,  or  through  which,  the  pardon  of  sin  is 
obtained. 

Elder  Campbell's  views  in  regard  to  Spiritual  Influence 
were  not  in  accord  with  your  grandfather's  views.  On 
page  350  of  the  volume  referred  to,  Elder  Campbell  says  : 

"  As  the  spirit  of  man  puts  forth  all  its  moral  power  in  the  wonls 
which  it  fills  with  its  ideas,  so  the  Spirit  of  God  puts  forth  all  its  convert- 
ing and  sanctifying  power  in  the  words  which  it  fills  with  its  ideas.'' 
*  *  *  "If  the  Spirit  of  God  has  spoken  all  its  arguments,  &c.,  then 
all  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  that  can  operate  upon  the  human  mind 
is  spent." 

From  these  and  kindred  passages,  your  grandfather  said 
it  was  clear  that  Mr.  Campbell  believed  and  taught  that 
all  the  converting  power  of  God  was  in  the  word  alone. 
Now,  he  believed  equally  with  Elder  Campbell  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  operates  on  the  human  mind,  by  and  through 
the  word,  but  not  by  and  through  the  word  alone*     He 

*  It  is  safe  to  say  that  the  Holy  Spirit  operates  through  the  word. 
It  is  not,  however,  necessary  to  say  that  he  always  confines  himself  to 
this  method  of  operation.  We  disparage  the  Spirit  if  we  say  that  he 
cannot  gain  access  to  the  human  heart  without  words;  for  we  vir- 
tually represent  him  as  unable  to  do  what  Satan  does  every  day.  Some 
of  Mr.  Campbell's  opponents,  forty  years  ago,  did  him  injustice  in  insist- 
ting'  that  he  identified  the  Spirit  and  the  word.  He  never  did  this,  but 
the  view  which  he  urged  was  that  the  Spirit  is  in  the  word — so  that  if 
we  have  the  word  we  have  the  Spirit  in  all  his  converting  and  sanctify- 


DISSENT    FROM    ELDER   CAMPBELL.  375 

believed  and  thought  that  the  Holy  Spirit  often  influences 
the  souls  of  men,  entirely  independent  of  the  word,  but 
always  in  accordance  or  in  harmony  with  it;  that  he  influ- 
ences the  human  mind,  even  in  the  dark  corners  of  the 
earth,  where  the  word  has  never  been ;  and  that  to  this 
divine  influence  is  to  be  attributed  all  that  is  good  and 
virtuous  in  heathen  lands.  "  Why,"  he  would  ask,  "  may 
not  the  Good  Spirit,  without  words  oral  or  written,  influ- 
ence the  minds  of  men,  since  Satan,  the  Evil  Spirit,  and 
according  to  the  Scriptures  the  enemy  of  God  and  man,  is 
now,  and  ever  has  been  doing  this  without  any  word  oral 
or  written  ?  " 

Elder  Campbell's  reason  for  not  believing  this  was  that 
no  one  could  understand  how  it  was  possible  that  Spirit 
could  act  directly  on  spirit,  except  through  the  medium  of 
words.  Your  grandfather  thought  this  objection  not  only 
unscriptural  but  unphilosophical.  All  know  that  matter 
attracts  or  influences  matter.  Of  this  they  have  no  doubt. 
But  the  greatest  philosopher,  living  or  dead,  could  not  tell 
how  it  was  done.  He  could  say,  that  matter  is  attracted 
by  attraction  or  influenced  by  influence,  and  that  would  be 
the  end.  He  would  say  that  men  know  something  about 
many  things,  but  understand  very  few  things  fully,  either 
in  the  natural  or  the  spiritual  world.  And  that  he  was  a 
wise  man  who  said,  he  that  believed  only  what  he  under- 
stood, had  the  shortest  creed  known.  And  he  concluded 
that  Mr.  Campbell  was  mistaken  when  he  denied  that  Spirit 
could  operate  on  spirit,  unless  through  the  medium  of  words 

ing  power.  This,  however,  may  not  have  been  his  uniform  view,  for  he 
often  changed  his  opinions,  and,  indeed,  came  as  near  as  any  man  of 
modern  times,  to  passing  through  all  the  signs  of  the  theological  zodiac. 

J.  M.  r. 


376  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

"  filled  with  ideas ;"  since,  according  to  the  Bible,  the 
Old  Enemy  and  his  emissaries  are  "going  about  seeking 
whom  they  may  devour,"  or  lead  to  destruction  by  their 
wicked  influence,  independent  of  words.  When  he  wishes 
to  make  one  murder  his  neighbor,  or  do  any  other  wicked- 
ness, great  or  small,  he  does  not  hold  a  talk  with  him,  but 
by  temptation,  suggestion,  or  impulse  induces  him  to  com- 
mit the  deed.  Or  he  enters  into  the  wretch,  as  he  is  said 
to  have  done  into  Judas  Iscariot,  to  tempt  him,  without 
the  use  of  language,  to  betray  his  master.  We  believe 
that  there  are  many  other  passages  of  Scripture,  which  led 
to  the  belief  that  Spirit  operated  on  spirit,  directly,  with- 
out the  intervention  of  words,  such  as  "  My  Spirit  shall  not 
always  strive  with  men."  "  The  Spirit  of  God  came  upon 
him."  (Balaam.) 

The  personal  experience  of  each  individual  also,  he 
thought,  proved  the  voiceless  influence  of  the  evil  spirit  on 
the  mind.  He  would  say  that  probably  most  persons  re- 
member times  when  suddenly,  by  some  evil  influence,  their 
whole  nature,  for  the  moment,  seemed  to  be  changed  for 
the  worse,  and  then  slowly  "  to  right  up  again,"  as  if 
by  some  beneficent  influence  or  spirit.  And,  also,  times 
when  his  nature  seemed  to  be  mysteriously  exalted  to  a 
higher  degree  of  purity  and  excellence.  So  far  then,  from 
believing  with  Elder  Campbell  that,  all  the  power  of  the 
Spirit  of  God  upon  man  is  in  the  word  alone,  and  that 
when  the  word  was  given  all  was  given,  he  thought  that 
even  dead  inanimate  matter  was  often  governed  by  the 
Spirit  as  when  in  the  early  days  of  creation  he  moved  upon 
the  waters,  bringing  order  and  beauty  out  of  chaos.  When 
Christ  spoke  to  the  storm-tossed  waves  of  the  Sea  of 
Galilee,  the  power  that  stilled  them,  was  not  in  the  words, 


DISSENT   FROM   ELDER   CAMPBELL.  377 

for  tliese  the  waves  could  neither  hear  nor  understand. 
When  he  laid  his  malediction  on  the  barren  fig  tree,  and  it 
withered  and  died,  when  he  called  the  lifeless  form  of 
Lazarus  from  the  grave,  it  was  not  the  words  alone  that 
produced  the  effect,  but  an  awful  and  invisible  power  be- 
yond them. 

Indeed,  there  was  no  subject  on  which  I  ever  hoard 
your  grandfather  converse  more  interestingly  than  that  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  whose  power,  he  thought,  pervaded  all 
the  realms  of  creation,  ever  bringing  good  from  evil,  and 
counteracting  the  baleful  influence  of  the  Prince  of  Dark- 
ness and  his  emissaries. 


CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 

END    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

We  learn,  from  his  Memoirs  by  Dr.  Richardson,  that 
Elder  Campbell  made  a  profession  of  religion  in  his  youth. 
And  his  experience,  as  then  given,  seems  to  resemble  all 
those  of  the  times. 

"  As  his  convictions  deepened  he  underwent  much  conflict  of  mind, 
and  experienced  great  concern  in  regard  to  his  own  salvation  ;  so  that 
he  lost,  for  a  time,  his  usual  vivacity,  and  sought  in  lonely  walk  and  by 
prayer  in  secluded  spots,  to  obtain  such  evidence  of  divine  acceptance  as 
his  pious  acquaintances  considered  requisite.  *  .  .  '  Finally, 
after  many  strugglings,'  he  adds,  '  I  was  enabled  to  trust  in  the  Saviour 
of  sinners,  and  feel  my  reliance  on  him  as  the  only  Saviour.  From  the 
moment  I  was  enabled  to  feel  this  reliance  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  I 
obtained  and  enjoyed  peace  of  mind.'  " 

I  doubt  not  that  during  the  interview  at  Dr.  Meri- 
wether's, Elder  Campbell  gave  your  grandfather  this  ac- 
count of  his  conversion,  and  of  his  subsequent  Christian 
life,  as  we  are  informed  he  did  to  Elder  John  Smith.  After 
his  conversion  he  became  a  member  of  his  father's  church, 
and  before  leaving  the  old  country,  it  is  probable  they  con- 
versed often  concerning  the  possibility  of  doing  something 
in  the  new  world  to  aid  the  cause  of  religion  and  Christian 
union  (which  seems  to  have  occupied  much  of  their 
thoughts),  as  here  civil  and  religious  liberty  were  fully 
enjoyed.  On  arriving  in  this  country,  taking  it  for  granted 
that  religion  was  in  its  depressed  state  on  account  of  the 
number  of  sects,  creeds,  and  errors  in  doctrine  that  every- 
378 


END   OF   THE    REFORMATION.  379 

wliere  prevail ;  <arnl  concluding  that  if  these  could  be  all 
thrown  overboard,  and  what  he  called  "  Primitive  Chris- 
tianity, or  the  ancient  order  of  things,  restored,"  the  church 
would  spring  into  new  life  and  beauty ;  and  supposing  also 
that  he  could  make  others  see  this  as  plainly  as  he  himself 
saw  it, — he  commenced  war  upon  them  all,  being  naturally 
of  a  sanguine  and  determined  character.  This  brought 
down  upon  him,  in  turn,  the  ministers  of  all  the  various 
denominations  almost  in  solid  phalanx.  He  accepted 
battle  and  fought  like  a  Titan.  And,  if  what  some  witty 
fellow  has  said  be  true,  namely:  "that  an  Englishman  is 
never  so  happy  as  when  miserable,  a  Scotchman  never  so 
much  at  home  as  when  abroad,  and  an  Irishman  never  so 
much  at  peace  as  when  at  war,"  Elder  Campbell,  for  many 
years,  must  have  enjoyed  a  peaceful  and  happy  time. 

But  Elder  Campbell,  your  grandfather  thought,  made  a 
capital  mistake  at  the  beginning.  He  was  in  the  predica- 
ment of  a  physician  who  had  failed  in  the  diagnosis,  and 
was  treating  his  patient  for  one  disease  while  he  was  dying 
of  another.  It  was,  he  used  to  say,  not  the  number  of 
sects,  creeds,  and  false  doctrines,  that  was  doing  the  mis- 
chief; these  were  the  effects  of  the  malady,  not  the  cause, 
and  would  disappear  when  the  real  cause  should  be  re- 
moved. What  the  Christian  world  needed  was  religion. 
What  Christianity  needed  was  Christians  to  exhibit  its 
power  and  beauty  in  their  lives  and  conduct, — men  and 
women  who  would  "  let  their  light  so  shine  before  men, 
that  they,  seeing  their  good  works,  would  glorify  their 
Father  who  is  in  heaven." 

There  is  nothing  in  any  form  of  church  government,  he 
thought,  to  prevent  any  member  thereof  from  leading  a 
truly  Christian  life  and  serving  God  "  in  the  beauty  of  holi- 


380  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

ness."  "  What  is  a  Christian,"  he  would  ask,  "  but  one 
"who  loves  the  Christ  and  delights  in  his  service  ?"  He  is 
a  good  citizen,  obedient  to  the  laws  made  for  the  benefit 
of  society.  He  is  a  kind  husband,  a  kind  father,  a  kind 
master,  a  kind  neighbor,  just  and  honorable  in  all  his  deal- 
ings, a  friend  and  benefactor  of  the  poor  and  destitute,  and 
according  to  his  means,  "  abounding  in  every  good  word 
and  work." 

Now,  supposing  all  "  who  name  the  name  of  Christ"  to 
come  up  to  this  standard,  what  would  be  the  result?  The 
power  of  Christianity  would  subdue  the  world,  and  truth 
and  righteousness  extend  from  the  rivers  to  the  ends  of 
the  earth,  and  "  fair  as  the  moon,  clear  as  the  sun,  and 
terrible  as  an  army  with  banners  "  (to  all  evil  doers)  ;  and 
it  would  soon  "  cover  the  earth,  as  the  waters  cover  the 
face  of  the  great  deep."  Of  course,  there  would  be  a 
breaking  down  of  all  the  dividing  walls  between  the  fol- 
lowers of  Christ.  He  taught  that  the  downfall  of  creeds, 
false  doctrines,  and  sects,  depended  on  the  rise  of  Chris- 
tianity, in  its  power  and  beauty,  and  that  the  Reformer 
should  devote  his  talents  and  zeal  to  this  object  with  unre- 
mitting ardor. 

"When  the  doctrines  of  the  Reformation  reached  our  part 
of  Kentucky,  they  produced  quite  a  sensation  among  all 
classes  of  people,  both  religious  and  irreligious.  The  tur- 
moil was  greatest,  I  think,  between  1830  and  1840.  The 
din  of  politics  was,  for  a  time,  not  so  loud.  Clay  and 
Jackson,  Whig  and  Democrat,  Tariff  and  anti-Tariff,  were 
no  longer  the  only  subjects  of  debate  and  controversy ; 
but  Campbellism  and  anti-Campbellism  were  endlessly  dis- 
cussed. 

The  Baptists  in  our  section  of  Kentucky  were  much 


END   OF   THE   REFORMATION.  381 

agitated,  though  not  as  much  so  as  in  the  northern  coun- 
ties. The  questions  of  hyper-Calvinism  had  been  pretty 
much  settled  among  us ;  and  Campbellism,  as  it  was  called, 
was  the  only  cause  of  discussion.  But  in  the  northern 
counties  they  had  both  hyper-Calvinism  and  Campbellism 
to  fight.  To  add  to  their  distress,  they  lost  several  of  their 
distinguished  preachers,  who  deserted  their  ranks  and 
joined  the  Reformation ;  among  whom  were  the  Creaths, 
and  Elder  Philip  S.  Fall.  With  the  latter  your  grand- 
father became  acquainted,  and  loved  and  esteemed  him  as 
a  highly  cultivated  Christian  and  an  ornament  to  the  Bap- 
tists. He  is  the  father  of  Elder  James  S.  Fall,  an  ac- 
quaintance of  yours,  late  of  Russell ville,  highly  esteemed 
as  a  preacher. 

The  Reformers  had  quite  an  advantage  over  their  oppo- 
nents in  one  respect.  They  had  an  able  leader,  who  used 
a  press  of  his  own,  and  by  this  means,  through  his  periodi- 
cals, could  furnish  his  disciples  with  his  views,  and  the 
arguments  to  be  employed  in  their  support,  all  prepared 
for  use,  which,  when  well  learned,  all  were  equipped  for 
fiorhting  in  column  and  to  act  in  concert :  whereas,  their 
adversaries  had  each  to  choose  his  own  ground  and  make 
his  own  fight  as  best  he  could. 

A  number  of  preachers,  some  of  whom  possessed  good 
talents  and  popular  manners,  came  into  our  country  from 
a  distance,  among  whom  were  Elders  Jesse  B.  and  John 
D.  Ferguson ;  and,  some  years  later,  their  venerable  father 
from  Baltimore,  Elder  Charles  M.  Day,  and  Henry  T.  An- 
derson from  Virginia,  to  whom  Elder  Isaiah  Boone,  a  good 
local  speaker,  rendered  efficient  aid.  He  had  been  raised 
up  under  your  grandfather's  ministry,  but  went  over  to 
the  Reformers.     These  men,  well  suited  to  giveres  pecta- 

17* 


382  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

bility  to  the  cause,  were  very  active  and  influential,  and 
some  of  them  good  debaters;  they  canvassed  very  thor- 
oughly the  region  of  country  in  which  your  grandfather 
lived,  and  made  many  proselytes  and  converts. 

The  feature  of  the  new  doctrine,  that  seemed  to  be  most 
fascinating,  was  "  baptism  for  the  remission  of  sbis."  They, 
everywhere,  and  on  all  preaching  occasions,  promised  the 
forgiveness  of  sins,  and  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  all 
who  would  make  what  they  called  "  the  good  confession," 
viz :  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son  of  God,  promise  to  obey 
the  gospel,  or  submit  to  immersion.  Elder  H.  T.  Ander- 
son told  them  one  might  obtain  the  forgiveness  of  his  sins 
in  three  minutes,  as  well  as  in  a  thousand  years;  and  at 
another  time  said  to  me,  standing  on  the  bank  of  the  stream 
while  he  was  baptizing :  "If  you  will  go  with  me  down 
into  the  water,  I  will  bring  you  up  from  it  free  from  sin 
as  an  ang;el." 

These  terms  seemed  so  easy  and  favorable,  that  many 
availed  themselves  of  them,  and  were  baptized ;  others, 
again,  fearing  there  might  be  some  mistake  in  this,  held 
aloof,  thinking  they  ought  first  to  show  some  "  fruits  meet 
for  repentance,"  or  be  conscious  of  a  change  in  themselves 
for  the  better,  before  they  professed  to  the  world  that  they 
were  followers  of  Christ.  Those  who  accepted  this  doctrine 
to  the  letter,  earnestly  entreated  all  they  loved,  without 
delay,  to  obey  the  gospel,  viz  :  be  immersed,  and  were 
amazed  that  any  one  should  hesitate  for  a  moment  in  ob- 
taining the  pardon  of  sin,  when  it  was  made  so  easy ; 
others  were  alarmed,  lest  those  they  loved  should  be  hur- 
ried on  to  take  a  step  for  which  they  were  utterly  unpre- 
pared. "  Crimination  and  recrimination  "  followed,  and 
many  of  the  oldest  and  purest  friendships  were  broken  up 


END    OF   THE   REFORMATION.  383 

forever.  Husbands  and  wives,  parents  and  children,  were 
in  many  instances,  unhappily,  estranged.  There  are,  in- 
deed, few  things  more  sad  to  contemplate  than  a  disturb- 
ance of  the  religious  peace  and  harmony  of  families  and 
churches,  when  there  is  no  good  reason  for  it.  There  is 
always  a  greater  amount  of  unhappiness  produced  than  is 
at  first  apparent.  Sorrows  and  regrets  often  remain 
through  life,  though  they  may  never  be  mentioned.  The 
common  family  altar  has  lost  its  interest  and  charm,  and 
the  old  church,  where  those  that  once  loved  each  other 
used  to  meet  and  worship,  is  deserted  and  falling  into  de- 
cay and  ruin.  My  thoughts  revert  to  our  own  Oikadelphia 
Church,  where,  in  other  days,  so  many  loving  friends  and 
relatives  met  for  worship. 

While  the  Reformers  were  busy  in  dissseminating  their 
views  and  making  converts,  your  grandfather  and  his 
brethren  in  the  ministry  were  not  idle.  They  changed 
their  manner  of  preaching  but  little.  Seldom  selected  a 
text  which  indicated  that  they  intended  preaching  a  ser- 
mon of  a  controversial  character.  This  was  especially  the 
case  in  regard  to  him.  But  he  always  expressed  himself 
freely  when  any  of  these  subjects  came  incidentally  in 
his  way. 

The  necessity  of  "  repentance  towards  God,  and  faith  in 
Christ;"  the  importance  of  making  preparation  during 
life  for  the  solemn  hour  of  death  and  the  final  judgment; 
and  of  walking  blameless  in  all  the  ordinances  and  com- 
mandments of  the  Divine  Master,  formed  the  burden  of  his 
earnest  appeals  to  the  people,  from  which  he  seldom  devi- 
ated. His  warning  voice  was  not  heard  in  vain,  and 
many  were  added  to  the  churches,  even  in  those  troublous 
times. 


384  ELDER    REUBEN   ROSS. 

Many  of  his  brethren,  some  from  a  distance,  visited  him 
in  their  perplexity  and  trouble  for  advice  and  counsel. 
And  many,  who  were  not  in  any  church,  but  were  inter- 
ested in  their  individual  salvation,  came  to  learn  of  him 
the  way  and  plan  of  salvation.  In  this  manner,  and  by  his 
conversations  in  the  family  circle,  when  out  on  his  tours  of 
preaching,  his  influence  was  felt  throughout  the  country. 
At  last  the  din  of  battle  began  gradually  to  die  away,  and 
when  the  smoke  had  lifted,  a  new  denomination  was  the 
result,  in  addition  to  the  number,  already  too  great.  It 
was  found  that  the  Baptists  had  fully  maintained  their 
ground  in  the  contest,  and  that  their  banner  still  waved 
over  more  than  sixty  churches,  composing  the  Bethel  As- 
sociation, with  prestige  unimpaired. 

It  is  sad  to  remember  how  many  who  fought  in  this 
fratricidal  war  have  passed  away,  and  now,  after  their  work 
is  done,  sleep  in  their  silent  graves,  where — 

"  The  storms  that  wreck  the  wintry  sky 
No  more  disturb  their  last  repose, 
Than  summer  evening's  latest  sigh 
Disturbs  the  rose.'' 


CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

PHRENOLOGY, — MESMERISM, — SPIRITUALISM,  ETC. 

After  the  quiet,  which  had  been  disturbed  by  the 
promulgation  of  the  new  doctrines  advocated  by  A.  Camp- 
bell and  his  adherents,  was  restored,  another  season  of 
peace  and  prosperity  prevailed  among  the  Churches  of 
Bethel  Association,  which  continued  until  the  commence- 
ment of  our  great  civil  war,  in  1860,  which  paralyzed  all 
the  interests  of  the  country,  both  civil  and  religious,  in  a 
great  degree. 

Several  things  followed  in  succession  during  this  period, 
to  interest  and  amuse  the  people  in  our  parts  of  Kentucky 
and  Tennessee,  which,  perhaps,  should  be  noticed  in  giving 
an  account  of  these  times.  These  are  Phrenology,  Mes- 
merism, Spiritualism,  etc. 

Phrenology,  I  believe,  aspires  to  the  dignity  of  a  science. 
It  professes  to  be  able  to  throw  light  upon  the  character, 
disposition,  temper,  and  the  moral  and  intellectual  quali- 
ties of  each  individual,  by  the  size,  location,  etc.,  of  the 
bumps,  or  protuberances,  to  be  found  on  his  cranium. 
Each  of  these  is  supposed  to  have  a  significance  of  its  own  ; 
and  he  who  could  read  it,  could  tell  every  one  his  character, 
and  lay  it  bare  to  the  inspection  of  spectators.  The  idea 
seems  to  be  somewhat  like  this :  In  the  substance  of  the 
brain  the  feelings,  passions,  desires,  and  intellectual  powers 
have   each  a  particular  location,  and  operate  there  with 

385 


086  ELDER   REUBEN  ROSS. 

such  force  as  to  cause  an  upheaval  of  the  bone  immediately 
above  them,  as  the  forces  below  the  earth's  surface  some- 
times raise  hills,  mountains,  and  other  inequalities.  So, 
if  one  can  know  the  character  of  the  force  that  produces 
these  bumps  or  inequalities,  he  can  know,  also,  the  char- 
acter of  the  individual  on  whose  head  they  are  found.  This 
the  adept  professes  to  be  able  to  ascertain,  as  each  has  its 
local  habitation  and  its  name. 

Accordingly,  the  use  and  value  of  phrenology  may  be 
seen  in  this.  If  one  desires  to  know  his  standing  in  morals 
and  intellect,  he  has  only  to  procure  a  chart  of  his  head 
from  an  adepts  and  with  pencil  set  down  all  his  good 
qualities  or  bumps  under  one  head  and  his  bad  ones  under 
another,  and  compare  the  difference ;  he  can  thus  see  at  a 
glance  his  standing,  whether  he  is  an  honest  man  or  a 
knave,  a  wise  man  or  a  fool,  or  whether  he  is  between  the 
two  extremes,  where,  perhaps,  the  majority  will  be  found. 
He  must  be  careful  to  take  into  account  the  size  of  the 
bumps,  of  each  kind,  as  well  as  the  number,  for  if  the  evil 
bumps  are  very  large,  though  fewer  in  number,  they 
may  outweigh  the  good,  and  vice  versa.  Yet,  notwith- 
standing all  this,  by  the  skillful  use  of  Algebra  and  Arith- 
metic, something  may  be  done.  Another  benefit  to  be 
derived  from  a  knowledge  of  Phrenology  is,  that  it  enables 
a  parent  the  better  to  manage  the  education  of  his  chil- 
dren. If  the  son  has  no  capacity  for  grammar,  let  him  omit 
it,  and  pursue  something  the  bumps  indicate  as  more  con- 
genial. Should  the  daughter  manifest  no  aptitude  for  the 
solid  branches  of  education,  let  her  drop  them,  and  turn 
her  attention  to  those  merely  ornamental — music,  painting, 
etc. 

While  Phrenology  was  atti'acting  much  attention,  I  was 


PHRENOLOGY,   MESMERISM,   SPIRITUALISM,   ETC.      387 

conducting  a  school  near  Trenton,  Kentucky,  as  you,  no 
doubt,  remember.  The  students  would  often  obtain  per- 
mission to  go  and  hear  a  lecture,  have  their  heads  examined, 
and  get  a  chart.  This  gave  me  a  good  opportunity  for 
comparing,  in  many  instances,  the  lecturer's  chart  with 
what  I  already  knew  of  the  abilities  and  tastes  of  the  boy^ 
and  I  was  often  struck  with  the  wide  mistakes  made.  One 
student,  in  particular,  who  was  making  unprecedented 
progress  in  Latin  and  Greek,  was  advised  never  to  think  of 
studying  these  languages,  as  he  had  no  aptitude  whatever 
for  them. 

In  the  times  of  which  we  are  now  speaking,  young  peo- 
ple seemed  very  much  entertained  in  the  towns  and 
villages,  attending  these  lectures  and  having  their  heads 
examined.  Judging  though  from  what  I  hear  and  see  in 
the  literature  of  the  present  times,  I  conclude  phrenology 
has  lost  the  interest  formerly  felt  in  it. 

Mesmerism,  or  animal  magnetism,  also  attracted  much 
attention  at  this  period.  This  is  supposed  to  be  a  force 
or  fluid,  by  means  of  which  a  peculiar  influence  may  be  ex- 
erted on  the  animal  system.  It  was  at  first  thought  to  be 
caused  by  a  mineral  magnet  only,  but  afterward  it  came  to 
be  considered  a  force  belonging  to  the  human  body,  and  also 
to  some  of  the  lower  animals.  When  spoken  of  in  ref- 
erence to  these,  it  is  called  fascination  or  "  charming." 

Those  persous  who  possess  influence  in  a  high  degree, 
are  noted  for  strong  wills  and  healthy  constitutions,  while 
those,  on  the  other  hand,  most  easily  influenced  are  of  a 
more  feeble  will  and  constitution.  Writers  speak  of  five 
or  six  phases  or  degrees  of  this  mysterious  influence.  In 
order  to  produce  it,  the  magnetizer  seats  himself  immedi- 
ately in  front  of  his  subject,  and  places  the  palms  of  his 


388  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

hands  and  balls  of  his  thumbs,  in  contact  with  those  of  the 
subject.  After  sitting  thus  a  short  time  the  influence 
begins  to  be  felt,  when  he  makes  what  are  technically 
called  "  passes  "  with  open  hands  and  outstretched  fingers, 
over  the  subject,  from  head  to  foot.  During  this  process, 
he  keeps  his  attention  fixed  on  the  subject,  and  by  a  silent 
exercise  of  the  will,  commands  him  to  become  mag- 
netized. In  the  first  stage,  the  subject  professes  to  feel  a 
strange  sensation  pervading  his  body,  and  frequently  a 
prickling  somewhat  like  that  felt  in  a  limb  when  the  circu- 
lation is  retarded  or,  as  is  commonly  said,  it  is  asleep.  The 
second  state  i§  that  of  drowsiness.  The  third  is  that  of 
coma,  or  senseless  sleep.  The  fourth  state  is  somnambu- 
lism. He  has  now  consciousness  and  sensation,  but  not 
his  own  ;  they  are  those  of  the  magnetizer.  He  tastes  as 
the  magnetizer  tastes,  hears  as  he  hears,  sees  as  he  sees, 
feels  as  he  feels,  and  smiles  as  he  smiles.  His  own  sensi- 
bility is  obliterated,  but  he  feels  all  the  impressions  made 
on  the  body  of  the  magnetizer.  The  fifth  state  is  that  of 
clairvoyance.  This  is  a  heightened  or  intensified  degree 
of  the  fourth  stage.  In  this,  the  subject  has  means  of  per- 
ception unknown  to  man,  in  his  normal  state,  and  if  judged 
from  the  common  experience  of  mankind,  seems  to  be  an 
impostor.  He  can  see  with  his  eyes  closed  and  bandaged. 
In  that  condition  he  sees  what  waking  men  cannot  see 
with  their  eyes  open.  He  can  see  what  is  going  on  in 
rooms  above,  below,  and  around  him.  He  sees  things  not 
only  outside  of  the  body,  but  inside  of  it  also.  His  own 
sense  of  smell,  taste,  or  touch,  is  generally  dull.  A  tea- 
spoon full  of  the  strongest  cayenne  pepper  placed  in  his 
mouth,  does  not  affect  him.  He  inhales  the  strongest 
ammonia,  through  his  nose,  and  it  produces  no  effect.  Pins 


PHRENOLOGY,    MESMERISM,    SPIRITUALISM,    ETC.       389 

may  be  thrust  through  his  hands,  or  he  may  be  pinched, 
or  have  an  arm  or  leg  cut  off,  without  feeUng  pain.  He 
will  even  laugh  and  talk  while  this  is  being  done.  Yet 
should  his  magnetizer  be  pinched,  or  have  a  pin  thrust  into 
him,  or  have  his  hair  pulled,  the  magnetized  feels  it  sensi- 
bly, and  rubs  the  places  on  his  own  body,  to  relieve  the 
pain.  The  sixth  state  is  stated  to  be  still  more  wonderful. 
This  is  that  of  perfect  clairvoyance.  He  sees  what  is 
ijoiner  on  hundreds  of  miles  away;  reads  the  thoughts  of 
persons  about  him  ;  reads  the  past  and  foretells  the  future. 
His  soul  dwells  in  light  and  delight,  and  he  often  regrets 
that  he  cannot  remain  in  that  state  forever.  (See  "JVew 
American  Cydopedia.     Article,  Animal  magnetism.") 

Mesmerism,  like  Phrenology,  for  a  time  greatly  inter- 
ested and  amused  the  people.  They  attended  the  places 
where  the  itinerant  lecturers,  with  their  trained  attendants^ 
showed  off  the  wonders  of  their  so  called  science.  They 
were  somewhat  awed  at  some  of  its  manifestations,  but 
still  would  laugh  to  see  how  the  person  magnetized  would 
jump  and  run,  when  a  pin  entered  the  skin  of  the  mag- 
netizer, or  when  his  hair  was  pulled  ;  and  the  faces  he 
would  make,  when  ammonia  or  snuff  was  put  into  his 
mouth.  But  when  it  came  to  be  known  that  a  person 
frequently  mesmerized  by  another,  was  more  or  less  liable 
to  be  unduly  influenced  by  him  afterward,  and  that  bad 
men  had  often  taken  advantage  of  this  to  effect  their 
wicked  puposes,  it  fell  into  general  disrepute.  I  remem- 
ber to  have  heard  it  said,  that  ladies  complained  that  at 
church,  even,  they  had  felt  their  minds  disturbed  and  con- 
fused, and  on  looking  round  would  see  the  eyes  of  some  one 
in  the  congregation  gleaming  upon  them  trying  to  exert  a 
mesmeric  influence. 


390  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

After  the  interest  manifested  in  the  phenomena  of  mes- 
merism had  subsided,  "  another  wonder  "  of  still  greater 
interest  came  to  light,  which  has  since  acquired  gigantic 
proportions.  I  allude  to  what  is  known  as  modern  spirit- 
ualism, which  began  to  attract  attention,  as  you  may  re- 
member, in  the  year  1848,  in  the  State  of  New  York, 
under  the  "  mediumship,"  as  it  is  called,  of  two  young 
girls,  the  Misses  Fox.  This  teaches  that  the  spirits  of 
the  dead  are  still  in  communication  with  the  living,  through 
the  agency  of  what  are  called  mediums,  of  which  there  are 
said  to  be  three  kinds,  speaking,  writing,  and  rapjnng 
mediums. 

Such  persons  as  have  but  little  will  of  their  own,  or  are 
of  a  yielding,  passive  disposition,  and  are  easily  brought 
under  the  mesmeric  influence,  are  thought  to  make  the 
best  mediums,  because  they  yield  more  readily  to  the  in- 
fluence of  the  spirits,  and  can  deliver  their  revelations 
more  accurately  than  persons  of  a  more  decided  will  and 
character.  Many  of  these  mediums  profess,  also,  to  have 
a  power  of  vision  unknown  to  common  mortals.  They 
claim  to  be  able  to  see  spirits  daily,  walking  on  the  earth, 
standing  still,  or  floating  in  the  air  above.  You,  no  doubt, 
still  remember  several  who  professed  to  have  this  wonder- 
ful gift.  This,  though,  is  so  contrary  to  the  experience  of 
mankind  generally  as  to  be  considered  one  of  the  many 
freaks  of  an  abnormal  imagination,  which  so  frequently 
makes  dupes  of  people  sound  of  mind  in  other  respects. 
Such  is  the  power  of  this  wonderful  faculty,  that,  you  re- 
member, it  caused  one  lately  to  publish  to  the  world  that 
he  saw  a  spirit  step  out  from  a  closet  into  a  well-lighted 
room,  then  fade  away  and  become  invisible,  then  gradually 
reappear,  more  and  more  distinct,  until  it  stood  clear  and 


PHRENOLOGY,    MESMERISM,   SPIRITQALISM,    ETC.      391 

well  defined  as  at  first.  And,  had  it  not  been  proved  af- 
terwards, that  this  wtis  really  a  yoimg  woman,  the  mother 
of  a  livins:  child,  lie  would  have  lived  and  died  in  the  belief 
that  he  had  seen  a  spirit. 

The  belief  in  spiritualism  spread  far  and  wide  after  its 
appearance  m  New  York,  not  only  over  the  United  States, 
but  in  Europe  also,  till  the  number  of  those  now  profess- 
ing to  believe  in  it  is  said  to  amount  to  several  millions_ 
Many  reasons  may  be  assigned  for  the  hold  it  has  taken 
on  the  popular  mind.  It  teaches  that  the  living  are  still 
surrounded  by  the  spirits  of  those  lost  by  death,  and  that 
they  still  feel  a  deep  interest  in  their  welfare,  and  will  con- 
tinue to  do  so  till  they,  too,  enter  the  "  Spirit  Land."  ' 
This,  to  many,  is  a  source  of  real  happiness,  and  they  cher- 
ish the  belief  accordingly.  Spiritualism  also  teaches — 
unlike  the  Bible — that  men  have  still  another  chance,  or 
probation,  after  death,  which  is  very  consoling  to  a  poor 
mortal,  who  has  been  taught  to  believe  that  his  fate  here- 
after depends  on  his  conduct  in  this  life.  He,  very  natu- 
rally, hails  with  delight  and  embraces  with  cordiality  the 
new  gospel,  which  teaches  that,  however  deep  the  stains  of 
a  sinful  life — however  polluted  the  soul  may  be  with  the 
blackest  crimes — after  death,  it  will  enter  upon  a  state  of 
endless  progression,  and  rise  from  sphere  to  sphere,  until 
it  finally  reaches  perfection  and  becomes  a  bright  and  glo- 
rious spirit,  worthy  to  dwell  in  the  presence  of  Deity- 
But,  perhaps,  much  the  larger  number  have  become  Spiri- 
tualists because  they  honestly  think  they  have  satisfactory 
evidence  for  the  grounds  of  their  faith. 

To  illustrate  : 

Let  us  suppose  that  A,  an  entire  stranger,  visits  Louis- 
ville, where  are  a  number  of  Spiritualists,  and,  as  he  has 


392  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS.  ' 

heard  a  good  deal  of  the  new  ism,  concludes  to  visit  a  seance, 
and  judge  for  himself  of  its  claims, — and  that,  on  enter- 
ing, he  asks  the  following  questions  mea tally  : — "  Where 
do  I  live?" — "  In  the  State  of  Arkansas."  "  Am  I  a  mar- 
ried man  ?" — "  Yes."  "  How  many  children  have  I  ?" — 
"  Five."  "  How  many  sons  ?"— "  Three."  "  Is  the  eldest 
a  son  or  a  daughter?" — "A  daughter."  "What  is  her 
nge  ?" — "  She  is  twelve  years  of  age."  "  What  is  the  age 
of  the  youngest?" — " Three  years."  "  What  is  the  com- 
plexion of  my  wife  ?  " — "  Very  fair."  "  The  color  of  her 
eyes  ?  "— "  They  are  hazle."  "  The  color  of  her  hair  ?  "— 
"  Dark  brown." 

A  takes  his  hat  and  leaves  rather  hurriedly,  with  a  feel- 
ing of  awe,  for  every  question  has  been  answered  accu- 
rately. He  decides  at  once  that  Spiritualism  must  be 
true ;  since  no  living  being  could  have  known  the  correct 
answers  under  the  circumstances,  every  question  having 
been  asked  mentally.  But,  mark  the  sequel.  A  had  a 
brother  who  had  left  home  five  years  previously,  of  whose 
fate  he  was  ignorant,  not  having  heard  from  him  from  the 
time  he  left  home.  Thinking  it  an  excellent  opportunity 
to  learn  something  concerning  his  brother,  he  returned  to 
the  seance  the  next  night,  told  the  circumstance  of  leaving 
home,  and  also  that  no  information  regarding  him  had 
been  received  to  the  present  time.  He  inquired  if  his 
brother  still  lived,  and  was  told  that  he  was  dead.  "  How 
long  since  his  death  ?  " — "  Two  years."  "  Where  did  he 
die  ?  " — "  Among  the  mountains  of  California,  searching 
for  gold."  "Where  was  he  buried?" — "In  the  lonely 
spot  where  he  died."  "  Was  anything  done  to  mark  his 
grave?" — "Nothing  whatever."  With  a  sad  heart  he 
leaves  the  circle  and  returns  to  his  hotel.     Not  a  doubt  of 


PHRENOLOGY,    MESMERISM,   SPIRITUALISM,    ETC.      393 

his  brother's  death  crossing  his  mind.  Three  days  after, 
when  he  is  about  to  leave  the  city,  a  knock  is  heard  on  his 
door.  On  opening  it,  who  does  he  see  standing  before  him 
but  his  long-absent  brother,  sound  in  body  and  in  fine 
spirits,  having  met  with  gratifying  success  in  business. 

These  illustrations  show  the  condition  in  which  Spiritu- 
alism stands  at  present.  At  one  time  the  answers  are  all 
true  in  every  particular ;  on  another  occasion  they  are 
false.  The  question  now  arises  :  Why  were  the  answers 
in  the  first  instance  true  ?  Answer  :  Because  the  answers 
to  them  were  in  the  mind  of  A,  and  refieeted  from  it  to  the 
medium.  Why  were  the  answers  in  the  second  case  false  ? 
Because  the  true  answers  were  not  known  to  A,  nor  to 
any  other  person  present,  and,  therefore,  could  not  be  re- 
flected to  the  medium.     Hence,  a  total  failure. 

"  It  is  now  believed  that  there  is  in  nature  a  medium  of 
communication  between  mind  and  mind,  other  than  that 
by  which  communications  are  had  through  the  ordinary 
channels  of  the  senses,  and  that,  through  this  force  or 
channel,  one  mind  may — when  proper  conditions  are  ful- 
filled— control  the  actions  of  the  mental  and  physical  pow- 
ers of  another  mind."  The  conclusion,  then,  is  that  all  the 
true  information  the  inquirer  receives  comes  to  the  medium 
from  the  mind  of  some  other  person  or  persons  present,  and 
that  spirits  have  nothing  to  do  with  it ;  that,  if  no  one 
present  is  cognizant  of  the  true  answer,  not  a  "  spirit  from 
the  vasty  deep"  can  furnish  it.  All  that  a  medium  can  do 
is  to  guess.  Hence,  the  endless  mistakes  and  contra- 
dictions. 

At  the  beginning  of  spiritualism,  we  are  informed  by 
the  celebrated  Robert  Dale  Owen,  that  a  peddler,  known 
to  have   some   money,  suddenly   disappeared   from   near 


394  ELDER    REUBEM    ROSS. 

Rochester,  New  York.  The  siiirits  said,  he  had  been 
murdered,  and  his  body  thrown  into  the  canal.  A  crowd 
collected,  and  the  canal  was  dragged,  but  no  body  found. 
The  so  called  spirits  then  said  the  body  would  be  found  at 
another  place.  This  was  also  dragged,  with  a  like  result. 
Two  months  after,  the  peddler  returned  and  said  he  left 
suddenly,  and  went  to  Canada,  because  he  learned  that 
his  creditors  were  on  his  track.  According  to  the  fore- 
going theory,  no  one  present  knew  what  had  become  of 
the  peddler — the  medium  included.  But  numbers  were 
impressed  with  the  belief  that  he  had  been  "  made  way 
with"  in  the  manner  stated,  and  this  impression  was  con- 
veyed from  their  minds  to  that  of  the  medium,  and  she  re- 
vealed it  as  coming  from  the  spirits.  It  would  seem  that 
the  mind  of  the  medium  is  powerfully  influenced  by  the 
belief  or  opinion  of  those  about  her.  We  are  informed 
that  the  spirit  of  old  Deacon  Branch,  in  Madison,  Ohio, 
when  a  crowd  of  Baptists  were  present,  always  said  that 
immersion  was  the  right  mode  of  baptism ;  to  the  Pedo- 
baptists,  that  sprinkling  was ;  to  those  who  believed  in  end- 
less punishment,  that  theirs  was  the  true  belief;  and  to 
Universalists  that  all  mankind  would  be  saved.  To  a 
circle  of  friends  who  did  not  believe  in  Spiritualism  he 
said,  it  was  a  miserable  humbug. 

That  the  thoughts,  feelings,  desires,  and  opinions  of  one 
person  can  be  reflected  to  another,  seems  to  be  fully  proved 
by  experiments  in  mesmerism ;  and  also  all  the  ideas  and 
sensations  of  the  magnetizer  passed  directly  to  the  person 
magnetized,  so  that  he  became,  as  it  were,  for  the  time,  his 
"  alter  ego,"  seeing  as  he  sees,  feeling  as  he  feels,  tasting  as 
he  tastes,  and  thinking  as  he  thinks.  This  will  explain 
why  it  was  that  the  ignorant  young  shoemaker —Andrew 


PHRENOLOGY,    MESMERISM,    SPIRITUALISM,    ETC        395 

Jackson  Davis,  when  magnetized  by  Doctor  Lyon,  a  man 
of  learning  and  ability,  could  discourse  by  the  hour  on 
learned  subjects,  of  which  ho  was  ignorant  in  his  normal 
condition,  receiving  all  his  thoughts  from  Lyon  himself. 
No  one  at  all  acquainted  with  the  superstition  of  ancient 
Greece  and  Rome,  can  lail  to  see  how  nearly  identical  are 
modern  Spiritualism  and  the  ancient  Oracle.  So  much  are 
they  alike,  that,  "  nomine  mutato,"  one  might  be  taken  for 
the  other.  Waivin^c  all  the  arcjuments  for  and  aorainst  the 
existence  of  spirits  around  us,  and  the  influence  they  may 
exert  on  the  human  mind,  your  grandfather  thought,  ad- 
mitting such  to  be  the  case,  it  was  very  sinful  to  court 
familiarity  with  them,  since  the  Bible  forbade  this,  even 
under  the  death  penalty.  He  once  made  out  a  list  of  all 
the  references  in  which  this  was  condemned,  which  I 
regret  is  lost.  He  w;xs  fully  persuaded,  that  they  are 
things  which  we,  in  this  life,  ought  not  to  know,  as  they 
would  not  contribute  to  our  happiness.  Our  first  parents, 
he  said,  wished  to  be  like  gods,  "  knowing  good  from  evil." 
In  an  evil  hour,  this  discovery  was  made,  and  with  it  the 
awful  disclosure  also,  that  they  had  brought  down  death 
and  ruin  upon  themselves  and  their  posterity.  To  keep 
each  order  of  being  in  its  proper  bounds ; 

"To  hide  from  brutes  what  men,  from  men  what  spirits  know," 

he  thought  was  clearly  the  divine  will,  since  from  the 
beginning,  all  the  attempts  of  men  to  look  into  the  dark 
mysterious  future,  have  been  worse  than  useless.  The  few 
glimpses  from  the  Bible  are  all  the  Creator  has  thought 
necessary  for  us  to  know  until  this  great  and  mysterious 
drama  is  wound  up.  "  Spiritualism,"  he  said,  "  denies  all 
the  great  truths  of  the  Bible — the  fall  of  man,  the  atone- 
ment of  Christ,  miracles,  the  divinity  of  Christ,  his  miracu- 


396  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

lous  birth,  a  hell,  a  devil,  a  resurrection  of  the  dead,  and 
a  day  of  judgment.  Therefore,  the  teachings  of  spiritual- 
ism are  utterly  irreconcilable  with  the  Bible,  and  he  who 
adopts  them  will  finally  lay  it  aside."  The  desire  to  lift 
the  veil  that  hides  from  mortals  the  secrets  of  the  unseen 
world,  he  said  was  very  improper,  and  for  that  reason, 
magic,  necromancy,  divination,  oracles,  demonology,  witch- 
craft, the  consulting  of  familiar  spirits,  and  astrology, 
(which  taught  that  the  destiny  of  men  and  nations  was 
controlled  by  stellar  influences,  and  was  believed  in  for  ages 
by  some  of  the  most  enlightened  minds  of  Europe,  as 
spiritualism  now  is,)  should  be  abandoned  at  once  and 
forever,  since  as  the  Apostle  Peter  tells  us  :  "  We  have  a 
more  sure  word  of  prophecy,  whereunto  ye  do  well  to 
take  heed,  as  unto  a  light  that  shineth  in  a  dark  place, 
until  the  day  dawn  and  the  day  star  arise  in  our  hearts." 
His  words,  when  speaking  on  this  subject  would  bring  to 
mind  the  following  lines  of  the  poet. 

"Heaven  from  all  creatures  hides  the  book  of  fate. 
All  but  the  page  prescribed,  their  present  state ; 
From  brutes  what  men,  from  men,  what  spirits  know  ; 
Or  who  could  suffer  being  here  below  ? 
The  lamb  thy  riot  dooms  to  bleed  to-day. 
Had  he  thy  reason,  would  he  skip  and  play? 
Pleased  to  the  last,  he  crops  the  flowery  food. 
And  licks  the  hand  just  raised  to  shed  his  blood. 
Oh  !  blindness  to  the  future  !  kindly  given 
That  each  may  fill  the  circle  marked  by  Heaven." 
********** 
"  Hope  humbly  then  ;  with  trembling  pinions  soar ; 
Wait  the  great  feacAer,  death,  and  God  adore." 

Steam  Doctors  were  among  the  things  new  and  strange 
that  sprang  up  in  these  times.  It  should  not  be  forgotten 
or  passed  over  in  silence. 


PHRENOLOGY,    MESMERISM,    SPIRITUALISM,    ETC.     307 

In  the  famous  old  State  of  Massachusetts,  a  man,  calling 
himself  Dr.  Thomson,  about  the  year  1822,  published  a 
little  book  which  he  called  "  The  New  Guide  to  Health.'' 
He  seems  to  have  taken  up  the  practice  of  medicine,  with- 
out any  education  or  previous  preparation  whatever.  Hear 
what  he  says  of  himself : 

"  Possessing  a  body  like  other  men,  I  was  leil  to  inquire  into  the  com- 
ponent parts  of  which  man  is  made.  I  found  him  composed  of  the  four 
elements — earth,  water,  fire,  and  air.  The  earth  and  water  I  found  were 
the  solids,  the  air  and  fire,  the  fluids.  The  two  first  I  found  were  the 
component  parts,  the  two  last  kept  him  in  motion.  Heat  I  foujid  was 
life,  and  cold — death  And,  again,  it  must  be  recollected  that,  if  heat  is 
life,  and  cold  is  death,  fever  is  a  friend  and  cold  an  pnemy.  It  is  there- 
fore necessary  to  aid  the  friend  and  oppose  the  enemy,  in  order  to  secure 
heallh." 

These  extracts  are  given  to  show  what  stuff  quacks  are 
made  of.  You  perceive,  cold  is  considered  not  simply  as 
the  absence  of  heat,  but  as  a  real  entity  or  substance." 
These  two  principles  are  considered  as  carrying  on  a  cease- 
less warfare.  When  cold  gains  the  ascendancy,  the  man 
is  sick,  and  it  is  the  duty  of  the  doctor  to  come  to  the  aid 
of  heat,  and,  if  possible,  to  overpower  and  drive  out  cold. 
If  this  can  be  done,  the  patient  recovers ;  if  not,  he  dies. 
Heat  and  the  doctor  together  can  hold  cold  in  check  for  a 
longer  or  shorter  time.  But  cold  in  the  end  will  prevail 
and  triumph  over  all  living  creatures;  consequently,  to 
keep  cold  in  check  as  long  as  possible  is  all  that  can  be 
done  by  the  doctor.  In  order  to  fight  cold,  the  old  doctor 
proposed  certain  heating  medicines,  numbering  them  from 
one  to  six.  Lobelia,  or  what  he  called  the  emetic  weed, 
was,  I  think,  "  No.  1."  This  was  used  to  cleanse  the 
stomach  of  "  kanker  "  and  enable  it  to  digest  food  and  sup- 
ply heat  to  the  system.  Marvelous  things  were  said  to  be 
18 


398  ELDER    REUBEN    ROSS. 

performed  by  lobelia.  If  an  individual  ate  a  variety  of 
food  at  a  meal,  and  any  one  article  disagreed  with  him — 
cucumbers  for  instance — it  was  only  necessary  to  give  a 
dose  of  lobelia  to  the  sufferer,  and  it  would  enable  him  to 
throw  up  the  deleterious  substance  and  retain  the  other 
food ;  and  so,  nothing  that  would  be  assimilated  was  lost. 
The  strongest  Cayenne  pepper  was  the  principal  ingre- 
dient in  "  No.  2,"  That  which  grew  in  tropical  climates 
was  chosen,  as  having  the  greatest  heating  property. 
"  No.  6,"  I  think,  was  composed  of  capsicum  and  French 
brandy  and  other  ingredients  not  remembered.  When 
this  was  taken  a  writhing  would  follow,  so  great  was  its 
pungency. 

These  exciting  preparations  were  given  to  drive  cold 
from  the  interior  to  the  surface  of  the  body.  When  this 
was  effected  in  some  degree,  the  patient  was  stripped, 
placed  on  a  chair  and  wrapped  in  blankets.  Then  the  tea- 
kettle, filled  with  boiling  water,  to  which  a  tin  pipe  or 
tube  was  fitted,  through  which  the  steam  was  conducted 
under  the  blankets  around  the  body.  If,  during  the  time 
of  taking  this  steam-bath,  the  patient  seemed  faint  or  dy- 
ing, a  little  cold  water  was  sprinkled  on  his  face.  This 
would  revive  him.  By  this  arrangement  the  cold  was  be- 
tween two  fires, — the  pepper  within  and  the  steam  with- 
out,— and  ignominiously  routed.  Occasionally,  one  was 
too  weak  to  endure  this,  and  died  during  the  operation  ; 
but  the  wonder  is,  that  no  more  succumbed  to  such  mal- 
practice. 

Old  Dr.  Thomson  himself  was,  once  at  least,  indicted  for 
murder  in  the  first  degree,  and  thrown  into  prison,  where 
he  remained  "  forty  days  and  foi'ty  nights."  This  proved 
to  be  of  great  advantage  to  him.  He  cried,  "  Persecution," 
and  his  name  and  fame  spread  far  and  wide. 


PHRENOLOGY,    MESMERISM,    SPIRITUALISM,    ETC.      399 

He  obtained  a  patent  for  his  "  invention."  He  em- 
ployed agents,  whom  he  sent  all  over  the  country,  author- 
ized to  sell  his  little  book  and  the  right  to  practice  medi- 
cine on  this  plan.  The  right  was  sold  for  twenty  dollars. 
Farmers,  blacksmiths,  mechanics,  and  overseers  bought  the 
right,  bought  a  stock  of  medicine,  provided  themselves 
with  the  complicated  apparatus  for  steaming,  mounted 
their  horses,  and  scoured  the  country  in  search  of  patients, 
and  reported  wonderful  and  unheard-of  cures.  One  of  the 
most  amusing  parts  of  the  farce  was,  to  hear  these  ignorant 
fellows,  who  knew  absolutely  nothing  about  the  human 
anatomy  or  the  diagnosis  of  diseases,  ridiculing  the  old,  ex- 
perienced, and  scientific  physicians  of  the  country,  whom 
they  denominated  "  mineral  doctors."  This,  too,  like  other 
popular  delusions,  has  passed  almost  into  oblivion,  and 
made  room  for  some  other  nine  days'  wonder,  to  die  in  its 
turn.  The  number  of  intelligent,  practical  people,  who 
were  carried  away  by  this  shallow  quackery,  can  hardly  be 
imagined  by  those  who  do  not  remember  the  excitement  it 
created. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

THE   DEATH    OF    MRS.    ROSS. 

For  a  number  of  years  after  the  troubles  consequent 
upon  the  religious  movement  begun  by  Elder  Campbell, 
the  churches  of  Bethel  Association  enjoyed  a  high  degree 
of  prosperity,  during  which  your  grandfather  devoted  him- 
self assiduously,  cheered  by  the  hope  and  belief  that  he 
was  instrumental  in  turning  many  from  the  power  and 
dominion  of  Satan  to  the  light  and  liberty  of  the  gospel. 

The  Baptist  Denomination  during  these  years,  exhibited 
a  good  deal  of  activity,  east,  west,  north,  and  south.  Educa- 
tion; Home  and  Foreign  Missions;  Sunday  Schools;  and 
the  great  Temperance  agitation,  by  which  it  was  fondly 
hoped  mankind  would  be  redeemed  from  the  curse  of 
drunkenness,  all  claimed  its  attention.  In  all  these  "good 
works,"  he  felt  the  liveliest  interest,  and  to  their  advance- 
ment contributed  cheerfully  of  his  means,  which  he  was 
now  enabled  to  do,  his  circumstances  having  become  less 
stringent  than  heretofore.  The  indications  at  this  time 
were  that  a  season  of  comparative  ease  and  leisure  lay 
before  him,  which  would  enable  him  to  gratify  his  taste 
for  reading  and  meditation.  But  these  pleasing  anticipa- 
tions were  not  to  be  realized,  as  it  is  often  the  case  in  this 
checkered  and  uncertain  life. 

On  the  second  day  of  June,  1847,  your  grandmother 
died,  after  which  I  perceived  his  interest  in  this  life  was 
400 


THE    DEATH  OF    MRS.    ROSS.  401 

lost,  to  a  great  extent.  Tliongh  to  the  last  ho  dearly  loved 
his  friends,  and  still  felt  a  deep  solicitude  in  the  for- 
tunes of  the  churches,  and  in  the  success  of  the  gospel,  his 
thoughts  were  now  more  of  another  world  than  this.  Of 
all  persons  I  have  ever  known,  he  spoke  least  of  his  own 
personal  sorrows,  though  he  spoke  feelingly  of  those  of 
his  friends  and  neighbors.  I  have  heard  him  say,  that 
his  bereavements  were  sometimes  felt  more  keenly,  long 
years  after,  than  when  they  first  occurred.  Your  grand- 
mother had  frequently  been  prostrated  by  severe  indispo- 
sition, sometimes  rheumatism,  and  sometimes  a  diseased 
condition  of  the  stomach.  The  latter  her  physicians  said 
was  the  cause  of  her  death.  For  weeks  previous  she  could 
retain  neither  food  nor  medicine.  Her  suffering  was  so 
great  that  it  was  evident  to  all  that  she  ardently  desired 
her  release.  She  had  nothing  to  fear  after  death.  She 
had  made  her  "  calling  and  election  sure,"  long  years  be- 
fore, in  the  morning  of  life,  and  no  expression  of  anxiety 
on  that  subject  escaped  her  lips.  For  several  days  pre- 
vious to  her  death  she  was  unable  to  speak,  and  answered 
our  questions  by  a  slight  movement  of  the  head,  signifying 
yes,  or  no. 

It  so  happened  that  when  she  breathed  her  last,  your 
grandfather  and  I,  were  the  only  persons  standing  by  her 
bedside,  the  others  having  left  the  room  a  moment  before. 
Her  dissolution  was  calm  and  peaceful,  preceded  by  a 
slight  shudder  and  a  moan  just  audible.  I  still  remem- 
ber how  quickly  my  thoughts  reverted  to  her,  as  she 
appeared  to  me  when  I  was  a  child,  and  how  distinctly  I 
could  trace  her  along  the  journey  of  life  to  its  close.  She 
had  many  noble  traits  of  character,  among  which  a  strong 
and  abiding  sense  of  duty  was  the  most  striking.     With 


402  ELDER    REUBEN   ROSS. 

her  gentleness  she  possessed  no  small  degree  of  firmness  of 
character.  Soon  after  her  marriage,  and  long  before  your 
grandfather's  thoughts  were  turned  in  that  direction,  and, 
even  when  he  discouraged  her,  she  made  a  profession  of 
religion,  and  was  baptized,  became  a  member  of  the 
church,  and  all  the  remainder  of  her  religious  life  was  in 
harmony  with  this  beginning. 

In  the  discharge  of  her  domestic  duties,  what  she  ac- 
complished, considering  her  means  and  feeble  health,  seems 
almost  incredible.  In  clothing  her  family,  such  material 
as  linsey,  jeans,  and  cotton  cloth  was  spun,  woven,  and  dyed 
at  home.  Sheets,  quilts,  blankets,  counterpanes,  and  all 
kinds  of  bedding  were  provided  abundantly  in  the  same 
manner.  And  her  house  was  always  orderly  and  neat, 
however  humble  it  might  be.  When  unable  from  rheuma" 
tism  to  be  on  her  feet,  she  found  some  work  she  could  do 
sitting  in  her  chair  or  lying  on  her  bed.  You,  no  doubt, 
remember  how  well  cooked  and  savory  was  the  food  she 
set  on  her  plain  though  neat  table,  and  how,  while  the 
principal  part  of  her  meal  was  prepared  in  the  kitchen  by 
the  cook,  she  would  superintend  something  extra  nice  for 
us  by  the  fire  in  her  own  room. 

When  your  grandfather  made  a  profession  of  religion, 
and  came  to  believe  it  to  be  his  duty  to  preach  the  gospel 
hoping  he  might  do  some  good  in  that  way,  she  determined 
to  do  all  in  her  power  to  make  his  way  smooth,  and 
keep  him  in  the  field  of  his  labor  as  much  as  possible, 
though  well  aware  that  it  would  entail  upon  her  a  life  of 
self-denial. 

She  seldom  enjoyed  the  pleasure  of  attending  public 
worship,  but  spent  most  of  her  Sundays  at  home  with  her 
young  children,  in  reading  her  Bible,  and  other  religious 


THE    DEATH    OF    MRS.    ROSS.  403 

books.  The  "Pilgrim's  Progress,"  and  the  "Holy  War," 
by  Bunyan,  were  favorites  when  I  was  a  child.  Her  cus- 
tom Wiis  to  read  aloud,  and  to  pause  occasionally,  as  if  to 
reflect  on  what  she  had  read.  Her  voice,  when  tlius  read- 
ing, was  singularly  soft  and  pleasant,  and  often  attracted 
me  to  her.  If  she  happened  to  be  reading  anything  that 
I  could  understand,  and  that  interested  me,  I  generally 
lay  down  near  her  and  listened.  The  story  of  the  old  Pil- 
grim, after  he  fled  from  the  "City  of  Destruction,"  and  his 
marvelous  adventures,  together  with  the  terrible  battles 
fought  around  the  beleagured  city  of  "  Mansoul,"  in  the 
"  Holy  War,"  I  listened  to  with  deepest  interest.  I  was 
then  at  the  happy  age  when  we  believe  everything  written 
in  a  book — allegory,  parable,  etc.  —to  be  true.  The  sto- 
ries of  David  and  Goliath,  Samson  and  Gideon ;  the  death 
of  Saul  and  Jonathan,  in  the  great  battle  fought  upon  the 
mountain  of  Gilboa,  and  David's  lamentation  over  the  fallen 
heroes,  which  are  so  wonderfully  beautiful,  she  would  often 
read  to  me.  The  infrequency  of  her  attendance  upon  public 
worship  caused  her  to  enjoy  these  rare  occasions  with  pe- 
culiar zest.  She  was  universally  beloved  and  admired  by 
her  sisters  and  brethren ;  for,  although  very  gentle  and 
modest,  she  was  sprightly  and  intelligent.  Later  in  life, 
when  she  became  more  helpless  from  rheumatism,  and 
never  left  home,  your  grandfather  would  occasionally  have 
preaching  in  his  own  house,  and  invite  his  neighbors  to 
attend,  that  they  might  have  an  opportunity  of  seeino' 
them  and  uniting  in  worship  at  the  same  time.  On  these 
occasions.  Elders  Rutherford  and  Tandy  were  generally 
the  preachers.  They  were  his  most  esteemed  friends, 
and  great  favorites  of  hers. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  at  one  time  she  endeavored  to 


404  ELDER   EEUBEN    ROSS. 

attain  to  a  state  of  sinless  perfection.  In  the  neighbor- 
hood where  we  then  lived  before  removing  to  Cedar  Hill, 
there  were  several  families  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  as  stated  before,  who  were  among  our  kindest  and 
most  esteemed  neighbors,  A  daughter  of  one  of  these 
families,  Miss  Gilmer,  a  beautiful  and  interesting  young 
lady  of  deep  and  fervent  religious  feelings,  bordering  on 
enthusiasm,  became  much  interested  in  the  possibility  of 
becoming  ^er/eci, — a  subject  much  discussed  at  that  time 
by  the  denomination  to  which  she  belonged.  Though  so 
much  younger,  she  and  your  grandmother,  resembling  each 
other  in  religious  zeal,  often  met  and  conversed  on  this 
subject — examining  the  Bible  in  regard  to  it ;  at  the  same 
time,  to  be  able  to  live  without  sin  was  a  pleasing  thought, 
assimilating  one  to  the  angels. 

They  at  length  determined  on  the  experiment.  And 
while  this  was  in  progress  they  met  at  every  opportunity 
to  compare  notes  and  report  progress.  Your  grandmother 
was  the  first  to  decide  that,  for  her  at  least,  it  was  unat- 
tainable, as  she  could  seldom  pass  a  day,  surrounded  by  so 
many  busy  cares,  during  which  her  conscience  did  not  tell 
her  that  she  had  said  or  done  something  that  was  wrong. 
Her  young  friend,  however,  continued  the  attempt  some 
time  ;  but  she,  too,  finally  reported  iailure.  This  grieved 
her  much,  as  her  heart  had  been  set  on  becoming  perfect. 
And  some  of  her  friends  thought  that  this,  with  declining 
health,  caused  a  state  of  settled  melancholy,  from  which 
she  never  recovered. 

After  your  grandmother's  death,  your  grandfather  was 
greatly  interested  in  preparations  for  her  funeral.  It 
seemed  to  afford  him  a  melancholy  pleasure  to  be  thus 
employed.     He  selected  Elder  Samuel  Baker,  then  Pastor 


THE    DEATH    OF    MRS.    ROSS.  405 

of  the  church  in  Hopkiiisvillc,  to  preach  the  funeral  ser- 
mon. Under  a  beautiful  spreading  oali  tree,  then  and  still 
forming  a  fine  shade  in  the  rear  of  the  house,  he  had  seats 
prepared,  sufficient  to  accommodate  a  large  audience.  The 
beautiful  day,  the  reputation  of  the  preacher,  and  the 
respect  felt  by  all  for  her  memory,  brought  a  numerous 
assemblage  together,  who  heard  a  discourse  so  beautiful 
and  appropriate  to  the  occasion,  that  it  would,  perhaps,  be 
safe  to  say,  none  who  were  present  could  have  forgotten. 
The  text  was  from  the  words:  "  And  if  Christ  be  in  you, 
the  body  is  dead,  because  of  sin ;  but  the  spirit  is  life,  be- 
cause of  righteousness.  But  if  the  Spirit  of  him  that 
raised  up  Jesus  from  the  dead  dwell  in  you,  he  that  raised 
up  Christ  from  the  dead  shall  also  quicken  your  mortal 
bodies  by  his  Spirit,  that  dwelleth  in  you."  Romans, 
8:   10,  11. 

And  here  it  may  not  be  inappropriate  to  add,  that  while 
all  honor  is, due  to  the  memory  of  the  pioneer  preachers  of 
the  various  religious  denominations,  for  having  endured  so 
many  hardships  and  dangers  in  spreading  the  light  of  the 
gospel  in  the  wilderness, — no  less  praise  is  due  to  their 
pious,  devoted,  self-sacrificing  wives.  And  it  will  perhaps 
be  found  in  the  end  that  their  "  crowns  of  rejoicing  "  are 
no  less  bright  and  enduring,  though  their  names  and  their 
praises  are  less  frequently  heard  among  men. 

Doctor  Samuel  Baker  was  born  in  Sussex  County,  Eng- 
land, in  October,  1812.  In  1833  he  became  a  Christian, 
and  was  baptized.  In  January  1834,  he  left  his  native 
country,  and  from  London  embarked  for  the  United  States, 
and  in  March  following  landed  in  New  York  City.  His 
first  homo  in  America  was  in  Alton,  Illinois,  to  which 
place  he  traveled  on  foot,  from  New  York,  carrying  a  small 

18* 


4U6  ELDER   REUBEN    BOSS. 

bundle  in  his  hand,  as  I  think  I  have  heard  your  grand- 
lather  say. 

On  arriving  at  Alton,  he  entered  Shurtleff  College,  which 
he  was  prepared  to  do,  having  received  an  English  educa- 
tion in  his  native  town.  The  college  was  a  Baptist  Insti- 
tution, and  from  it  he  received  his  degree  of  A.  M.  In 
October,  1834,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel,  by  the 
Baptist  Church  of  Upper  Alton,  and  was  publicly  ordained, 
to  the  ministry,  in  December  1837. 

The  ordination  sermon  was  preached  by  the  Eev. 
Dwight  IveB,  pastor  of  the  Lower  Alton  Church,  from  2 
Corinthians  2 :  16.  "  And  who  is  sufficient  for  these 
things?"  The  ordination  prayer,  was  made  by  Elder 
Loomis,  then  President  of  the  Shurtleff  College.  His  first 
pastorate  was  at  Cape  Girardeau,  Missouri.  In  1839,  he 
came  to  Kentucky,  and  was  chosen  as  their  pastor  by  the 
Shelbyville  Baptist  Church.  In  1841,  he  became  pastor  of 
the  Baptist  Church  at  Russellville,  Kentucky,  for  which  he 
preached  about  five  years,  and  then  removed  to  Hopkins- 
ville,  at  which  place  he  was  living  when  he  preached  your 
grandmother's  funeral  sermon.  After  leaving  Hopkins- 
ville,  he  became  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  in 
Nashville.  Finally,  after  serving  as  pastor  of  various 
other  churches,  in  the  beginning  of  the  year  1870,  he  was 
chosen  as  their  pastor,  by  the  Herkimer  Street  Baptist 
Church,  in  the  city  of  Brooklyn,  New  York.  But  when  in 
the  summer  of  1872,  he  visited  his  brethren  in  Kentucky, 
who  still  retained  afiectionate  recollections  of  him,  they 
gathered  around  him,  and  entreated  that  he  would  again 
cast  his  lot  among  them.  He  consented,  and  in  December 
following  returned  to  Russellville,  and  was  again  called  as 
pastor  of  the  church  at  that  place,  where  his  many  friends 
fondly  hoped  many  useful  and  happy  years  await  him. 


THE   DEATH   OF   MRS.   ROSS.  407 

I  remember  to  have  heard  Doctor  Baker  preach  on 
various  occasions  before  he  left  Kentuiky,  and  once  in 
particular,  at  Spring  Creek  Church,  from  the  passage 
**  How  long  halt  ye  between  two  opinions  ?  If  the  Lord  be 
God  follow  him ;  but  if  Baal,  then  follow  him."  It  was  un- 
questionably a  discourse  of  great  power  and  effect. 

Doctor  Baker  was  the  third  Baptist  preacher  from  Eng- 
land that  came  among  us,  according  to  my  recollection. 
The  first  was  a  minister  named  Ebenezer  Rogers.  He 
was  a  young  man  highly  esteemed  and  admired  by  his 
brethren,  and  indeed,  by  the  people  generally.  He  did  not 
remain  long,  however,  but  went,  I  believe,  to  Alton,  Illi- 
nois, and  took  charge  of  a  Baptist  church  in  that  place. 
Your  grandfather  regretted  his  leaving,  as  he  considered 
him  to  be  both  an  earnest  Christian  and  an  able  preacher. 
The  second  was  Elder  Robert  Rutherford,  of  whom  men- 
tion has  been  made.  They  all  spoke  with  marked  foreign 
accent,  which,  though  novel,  was  rather  pleasing  to  the 
ear. 


CHAPTER   XLI. 

LAST   YEARS   AT   HIS   OLD  HOME — FINAL    REMOVAL. 

After  your  grandmother's  death,  your  grandfather 
continued  to  live  at  Cedar  Hill  with  his  three  old  servants, 
Jacob,  Viney,  and  Fanny.  Viney  he  had  brought  with 
him  from  Carolina  when  a  mere  child.  She  kept  his  room 
in  order,  washed,  cooked,  and  attended  to  the  poultry  and 
cows.  Jacob  and  Fanny  worked  in  the  field  and  garden, 
got  up  his  fire-wood,  and  attended  to  his  horse  and  other 
stock.  He  always  kept  some  good  cattle,  among  which 
were  several  fine  milch  cows. 

These  he  highly  prized.  Next  to  his  cows,  his  hogs 
claimed  his  attention.  He  often  called  them  together,  and 
fed  them  himself,  enjoying  the  greediness  of  the  little  pigs 
cracking  corn  at  his  feet.  His  horse  was  an  object  of 
prime  importance — his  only  means  of  transportation  when 
traveling  from  place  to  place  among  the  churches.  Three 
qualities  were  indispensable.  It  was  required  that  he 
should  walk  well,  four  miles  an  hour,  be  strong  and  gentle, 
and  never  under  any  circumstances  to  stumble.  This 
offence  was  unpardonable.  If  he  did,  he  must  be  sold  or 
exchanged. 

His  field  crops  were  corn,  oats,  and  pumpkins,  which  he 
usually  grew  in  great  perfection.  His  corn  had  to  be  worked 
in  a  certain  way,  plowed  a  certain  number  of  times,  with  a 
certain  number  of  furrows  in  each  row — or  he  feared  there 
would  be  but  a  light  yield.  When  sufficiently  matured, 
4U8 


LAST    YEARS    AT   HIS  OLD   HOME. — FINAL  REMOVAL.   409 

according  to  the  old  pioneer  custom,  the  blades  wore 
stripped  off  the  stalk  as  high  as  the  ears,  cured  into  sweet 
fodder,  and  stocked.  Then  the  tops,  above  the  ear,  were  cut 
off  and  tied  around  the  stalks  to  dry.  His  field  now  would 
be  quite  showy  —the  large  ears  of  corn  in  full  view.  The 
sweet-scented  fodder,  and  the  golden  pumpkins  scattered 
thickly  over  the  ground,  were  to  him  objects  pleasant  to 
look  upon.  He  had  the  finest  apple  orchard  in  the  coun- 
try—fruit of  choice  varieties,  of  his  own  selection.  This 
was,  to  a  considerable  extent,  public  property.  The  boys 
and  negroes  would  come  with  bags  and  baskets  during  his 
absence,  and  often  when  at  home,  and  help  themselves 
without  asking  leave.  Yet,  notwithstanding,  he  would  put 
up  quantities,  more  than  he  could  use,  and  divide  with  his 
neighbors  in  winter,  which  afforded  him  gratification. 
When  he  went  to  his  appointments,  his  saddle-bags  were 
fragrant  from  the  fine  apples  for  the  children  where  he 
visited.  All  his  interest  in  fruit  was  for  others,  as  he  but 
seldom  tasted  any  himself.  He  also  took  interest  and 
pride  in  his  bacon.  As  the  time  for  kilUng  hogs  ap- 
proached, he  was  watchful  for  suitable  weather.  He  liked 
it  to  be  quite  cold,  the  wind  from  the  north-west  or  north, 
and  would  sometimes  get  out  of  bed  at  night  to  ascertain 
from  what  point  it  was  blowing.  He  did  not  believe  that 
killing  when  ihe  moon  was  on  the  increase  or  decrease 
affected  the  shrinking  of  the  meat.  His  bacon  was  always 
very  fine,  and  it  delighted  him  to  see  his  friends  enjoy  it, 
and  to  hear  their  praises,  which  gave  him  an  opportunity 
to  tell  them  his  process  of  curing  it. 

Another  thing  he  gave  great  credit  to  himself  for,  was 
his  success  in  raising  fine  turnips.  Perhaps  he  did  not 
make  a  failure  in  raising  them  once  in  twenty  years.    Jaco  » 


410 


ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 


used  to  say :  "  Master  has  as  great  a  gift  for  raising  tur- 
nips as  he  has  for  preaching."  He  had  a  piece  of  ground 
on  which  he  penned  his  cows  at  night,  which  was  plowed 
frequently  during  spring  and  summer.  When  the  time 
for  sowing  came,  it  was  neatly  prepared,  and  on  the  Fri- 
day before  the  first  Sunday  in  August,  the  seed  were  sown. 
In  this,  you  will  see,  he  departed  a  little  from  the  time- 
honored  day — 

"  The  twenty-fifth  of  July, 
Let  the  same  be  wet  or  dry.'' 

If  the  first  sowing  did  not  succeed,  on  account  of  the  fly 
or  dry  weather,  he  continued  sowing  until  he  secured  a 
"  good  stand."  The  turnips  were  generally  very  fine,  and 
the  tops,  which  he  considered  a  great  delicacy,  supplied 
himself  and  neighbors  bountifully,  while  in  season,  which 
continued  through  the  spring  months.  Such  were  some 
of  his  out-door  amusements  during  these  solitary  years. 

In  his  diet,  when  at  home,  he  was  very  abstemious. 
Coffee  and  cold  biscuit  constituted  his  breakfast  and  sup- 
per, for  the  most  part;  a  piece  of  fried  or  broiled  chicken 
was  sometimes  added.  His  dinner  consisted  of  something 
boiled,  with  a  few  vegetables.  Before  each  meal,  when  at 
home,  he  always  said  a  silent  grace.  At  night,  before 
going  to  rest,  he  knelt  down  by  his  chair  and  engaged  in 
silent  prayer.  He  read  a  great  deal  when  at  home,  while 
living  alone.  On  my  visiting  him,  he  would  tell  me  he 
had  been  reading  too  much.  The  condition  of  the  country 
was  now  becoming  alarming,  and  men  of  thought  and  re- 
flection had  many  gloomy  forebodings.  The  religious 
denominations  North  and  South  were  becoming  violently 
agitated,  and  none  could  tell  what  the  end  would  be. 

At  the  season  of  the  year  when  there  was  a  succession 


LAST   YEARS   AT   HIS   OLD    HOME. — FINAL    REMOVAL.   411 

of  large  and  interesting  meetings,  he  was  from  home  most 
of  the  time,  leaving  everything  in  charge  of  his  faithful 
servants.  The  days  that  intervened  between  meeting.s, 
when  out  on  a  tour  of  preaching,  he  spent  with  his  brethren 
and  their  families.  On  visiting  a  family  his  presence 
seemed  to  be  cheering  and  exhilarating  to  all — children 
and  servants  included.  This  was  the  result  of  esteem  and 
affection.  His  ministrations  at  the  family  altar  were 
solemn  and  impressive,  leaving  the  conviction  on  the  minds 
of  all  that  he  felt  a  deep  interest  in  their  spiritual  and 
temporal  welfare.  No  inconsiderable  part  of  his  influence 
was  due  to  the  character  of  his  intercourse  \vith  the  family 
circle. 

In  politics  he  was  an  old-fashioned  Democrat.  He  be- 
lieved ours  to  be  the  best  form  of  government  ever  insti- 
tuted, so  long  as  the  people  remained  virtuous  and  good ; 
but,  like  Washington,  Patrick  Henry,  and  others  of  the 
revolutionary  fathers,  that  it  would  soon  fall  into  ruins, 
when  the  people  became  vicious  and  corrupt.  He  fore- 
boded trouble  to  the  country  on  account  of  slavery ;  not  so 
much  on  account  of  the  thing  itself,  as  of  the  remorseless 
agitation  and  hate  it  would  engender.  Had  it  been  "  let 
alone"  by  impertinent  meddlers,  he  believed  it  would  have 
found  a  peaceful  solution  by  the  agency  of  gradual  eman- 
cipation, and  through  the  Colonization  Society,  which 
found  advocates  among  the  purest  and  ablest  statesmen 
our  country  has  ever  known.  This  society  was  formed  in 
1817,  and  had  for  its  first  presidents,  Judge  Bu.shrod 
Washington  of  the  Supreme  Court,  Charles  Carroll  of  Car- 
roUton,  Ex-President  Madison,  and  Henry  Clay.  It  had 
for  its  first  object  the  opening  of  a  home  for  all  colored  per- 
sons who  might  obtain  their  I'reedoni  in  the  United  States, 


412  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

where  they  might  dwell,  free  from  the  overshadowing  su- 
periority of  the  white  race.  For  its  second  object  it  had  in 
view  the  civilization  and  Christianization  of  benighted 
Africa,  where  the  people  have  so  long  sat  "  in  darkness  and 
the  shadow  of  death." 

In  regard  to  gradual  emancipation,  it  appeared  clear  to 
his  mind  that,  if  let  alone,  first  one  of  the  border  states 
would  have  adopted  it,  then  another,  until  finally  it  would 
have  reached  the  Gulf,  and  accomplished,  without  havoc 
and  bloodshed,  all  that  has  now  been  effected  by  civil  war. 
Feeling  the  infirmities  of  age  increasing  upon  him,  in  1851, 
he  thought  it  best  to  offer  his  resignation  of  the  Moderator- 
ship  of  the  Bethel  Association,  which  he  had  held  from  its 
organization. 

The  following  is  the  report  made  by  the  Committee  ap- 
pointed by  the  Association  on  that  occasion,  written  by 
Elder  Pendleton  : 

"  Elder  Ross  has  been  Moderator  of  this  Association  since  its  organi- 
zation in  1825,  a  period  of  twenty-six  years.  He  can  with  more  pro- 
priety than  any  other  man,  living  or  dead,  be  designated  the  father  of 
the  Association.  The  influence  resulting  from  the  dignity  of  his 
Christian  character,  and  from  the  salutary  counsels  he  has  through  suc- 
cessive years  imparted,  cannot  be  fully  known  until  the  revelations  of 
eternity  supply  all  the  elements  necessary  in  making  the  calculation. 
This  fact  precludes  the  necessity  of  any  attempt  to  make  an  elaborate 
report,  and  the  committee  request  that  the  brevity  they  study  may  be 
considered  more  intensely  impressive,  than  any  thing  they  could  say. 
They  recommend  the  adoption  of  the  following  resolutions  : 

"  Resolved, — That  Elder  Ross's  resignation  of  the  Moderatorship  of 
this  body  constitutes  an  important  epoch  in  its  history  ;  and  that  the 
thanks  of  this  body  are  eminently  due  to  him  for  the  impartiality,  dig- 
nity, and  affectionate  kindness,  with  which  he  has  presided  over  its  de- 
liberations. 

"Resolved, — That  our  ardent  affection  for  him  prompts  us  to  comply 
with  his  request  to  be  released  from  our  service,  and  that  in  accepting 
his  resignation  we  cannot  suppress  our  emotions  of  sorrow. 


1 


LAST   YEARS   AT   HIS   OLD    HOME. — FINAL    REMOVAL.    413 

"  Resolved, — That  we  will  cherish  with  affectionate  veneration  the 
name,  the  character,  and  the  labors  of  our  Father  in  Israel,  and  offer  to 
God  our  fervent  prayers  that  divine  grace  may  sustain  him  amid  the 
infirmities  of  age,  and  that  the  sun  of  his  declining  life  may  set  in  a 
cloudless  sky." 

The  above  resolutions  have  been  extracted  from  a  "  dis- 
course delivered  at  Bethel  Church,  Christian  County,  Ken- 
tucky, July  23rd,  1860,  by  Elder  J.  M.  Pendleton,"  who 
goes  on  to  add  : 

"  This  report  was  unanimously  adopted,  as  expressive  of  the  Associa- 
tion's high  appreciation  of  the  retiring  Moderator.  Such  honor  was  due 
him,  and  was  cordially  rendered.  It  is  appropriate  to  say  in  this  con- 
nection, that  for  several  years  after  the  organization  of  Bethel  Associa- 
tion, Elder  Ross  had,  as  co-laborers  in  the  ministry  Elders  William 
Tandy,  William  Warder,  Robert  Rutherford,  William  C.  Warfield,  John 
S.  Wilson,  and  at  a  later  period  Robert  T.  Anderson.  Would  that  I  were 
able  to  pay  a  worthy  tribute  to  these  men  of  God  !  They  were  among 
the  excellent  of  the  earth."  * 

For  the  saraj  reason  that  led  him  to  resiscn  the  Modera- 
tor.ship  of  Bethel  Association  in  18G1,  he  also  resigned  the 
pastorate  of  Bethel  Church,  in  June,  1852.  This  was  a 
tender  subject,  not  only  with  him,  but  also  with  the 
church.  So  long  and  so  happy  had  been  their  connection 
in  this  relationship,  that  the  church  did  not  accept  his 
resignation  unconditionally.  I  happened  to  be  present, 
when  Messrs.  Bronaugh  and  Garnett  came  to  make  known 
to  him  that  the  church  desired  to  continue  him  as  their 
pastor,  and  to  employ  an  assistant,  and  that  they  still 
wished  to  pay  him  the  salary  as  heretofore.  To  this  he 
assented  at  the  time  from  regard  to  the  wishes  and  feelings 
of  the  church.     But  he  no  longer  considered  himself  its 

*  Of  these  eminent  men,  brief  and  imperfect  notices  have  already 
been  given  in  this  work. 


414  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

pastor,  and,  I  think,  never  accepted  compensation,  though 
so  generously  offered  by  the  brethren.  Thus  we  see  the 
ties  that  had  so  long  connected  them  gradually  loosening, 
and  he  was  forcibly  reminded  that  they  would  soon  be 
severed  finally. 

The  Bethel  Church,  in  this  case,  as  in  all  others 
where  he  was  concerned,  manifested  a  delicacy  and  consid- 
eration worthy  of  its  high  character.  In  the  pulpit  of  this 
church,  he  made  a  short  public  address  which  proved  to 
be  his  last.  The  date  I  do  not  remember.  On  entering  the 
pulpit  at  the  time,  as  he  said  to  me,  he  had  no  thought, 
whatever,  of  saying  anything,  but  only  of  joining  the 
brethren  in  worship.  He  found  himself  thinking,  how 
strange  it  was  that  some  professors  of  religion  seemed 
to  be  more  willing  to  do  any  thing  for  their  religion  than 
to  live  for  it.  That  they  would  give  their  time,  their 
wealth,  and  in  many  instances  die  for  it,  yet  so  often  faile  i 
to  adorn  it  by  a  "  pious  life  and  a  godly  conversation," 
which,  were  it  done,  "  men  seeing  their  good  works,"  would 
'■'  glorify  their  Father  in  heaven  ;"  and,  until  this  is  done, 
the  power  and  beauty  of  Christianity  will  never  be  fully  seen 
and  felt.  Under  the  influence  of  these  reflections,  he  rose 
in  the  pulpit  and  pressed  the  consideration  of  these  things 
on  the  brethren.  Neither  he  nor  they  supposed  that  he 
might  not  speak  again  to  them,  though  his  health  was 
feeble,  and  his  voice  unusaally  weak  and  low. 

In  the  year  1857,  as  before  stated,  he  was  at  last  per- 
suaded by  his  children  and  friends  to  leave  his  home  at 
Cedar  Hill,  and  live  in  the  family  of  your  uncle,  John 
Morrison.  Their  reasons  for  urging  this  upon  him,  were 
his  lonely  and  unprotected  life,  and  the  need  there  was  of 
havino;  some  one  to  attend  to  all  his  little  wants  and  com- 


LAST   YEARS   AT    HIS   OLD    HOME. — FINAL    REMOVAL.    415 

forts  which  your  aunt  Morrison  w;is  so  well  suited  by  her 
affectionate  nature  to  superintend.  Accordingly,  a  com- 
fortable room  being  built,  and  as  many  of  his  conveniences 
and  comforts  as  he  desired  removed  to  it,  he  bade  a  final 
adieu  to  the  old  home  and  all  its  familiar  and  cherished 
associations,  with  feelings  more  easily  imagined  than 
described,  and  removed  to  the  place  where  his  pilgrimage 
was  to  end. 

Here  every  thing  was  favorable  to  his  comfort  and 
happiness;  an  affectionate  daughter  and  her  family;  friends 
and  neighbors  that  delighted  in  showing  every  attention 
and  kindness ;  a  community  that  had  grown  up  to  love  and 
honor  him,  many  of  them  from  childhood.  In  the  later 
months  of  the  year  1859,  he  suffered  much  of  dysury,  and 
was  completely  prostrated  by  that  painful  disease.  During 
his  illness,  he  was  cheered  and  comforted  almost  daily  by 
the  loving  ministrations  of  his  friends  and  brethren.  Their 
conversations  on  these  occasions  assumed  a  religious  char- 
acter and  many  deeply  interesting  subjects  were  discussed. 


CHAPTER    XLII. 

LAST     ILLNESS    AND     DEATH. 

In  the  early  days  of  January,  1860,  your  grandfather's 
health  seemed  somewhat  improved.  On  the  19tli,  he  had 
his  apparatus  for  shaving  brought  to  him.  He  shaved 
himself  with  care,  pared  his  nails,  combed  his  hair,  and 
put  on  fresh  clothes.  No  one  was  in  his  room  except  his 
old  servant  Fanny,  who  was  waiting  on  him.  After  this> 
as  he  told  me,  he  rose  to  his  feet,  stood  a  moment,  then 
fell  suddenly  with  all  his  weight  on  the  hearth,  but  seemed 
to  recover  a  little  very  soon,  and  said:  "Fanny,  I  have 
started  on  my  long  journey."  There  were  two  opinions 
in  regard  to  the  cause  of  the  fall.  One,  that  it  was  para- 
lysis ;  the  other,  that  it  was,  simply,  vertigo.  I  have  no 
doubt  it  was  the  latter.  The  fall  was  a  hard  one ;  turning 
the  side  which  fell  on  the  bricks  black  with  bruises.  All 
the  family  gathered  around  him  immediately;  his  physi- 
cian was  summoned,  and  every  thing  done  that  kindness 
and  affection  could  suggest ;  but  inflammation  and  fever 
supervened,  and  it  was  soon  apparent  that  his  recovery 
was  more  than  doubtful.  We  will  let  some  extracts  from 
letters  your  aunt  Morrison  wrote  to  her  daughter,  your 
cousin,  Rowena  Waggoner,  of  Louisville,  tell  the  remain- 
der.    She  says : 

"  I  am  sorry  to  tell  yon  that  father  is  very  ill,  much  more  so  than  he 
has  been  since  you  left  us.     He  had  a  fall,  about  noon  last  Friday,  the 

416 


LAST   ILLNESS   AND    DEATH.  417 

10th  of  January,  and  has  not  been  up  since.  We  are  all  very  uneasy 
about  him.  Ho  cannot  move  his  feet  at  all.  I  am  fearful  it  was  para- 
lysis that  caused  the  fall,  as  he  started  across  the  room.  We  sent  down 
f  )r  brother  James,  Friday,  and  he  came  up  yesterday.  He  intends  stay- 
ing with  your  grandfather  this  week.  •  •  •  "I 
will  write  you  a  few  lines  every  day  till  Monday,  and  tell  you  how 
he  is." 

"  Monday  morning. — Father  is  no  better  this  morning,  and  was  very 
ill  all  last  night.  His  mind  is  flighty  at  times.  Your  father  came  in  a 
short  time  since,  and  told  me  my  father  had  called  me  two  or  three 
times.  I  went  to  his  room  and  sat  by  him  a  while,  but  he  had  fallen 
asleep.  Your  uncle  James,  Mr.  Slaughter,  Mr.  E.  Garnett,  and  your 
brother  sat  up  with  him  last  night.  The  neighbors  are  as  kind  and 
attentive  to  him  as  they  can  be.  All  seem  anxious  to  do  something  for 
him." 

"  Monday  evening. — Brother  James  thinks  father  better  than  he  has 
been  since  he  came.  Dr.  Porter,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Radford  came  to  see  him 
to-day.     All  denominations  love  him  " 

"  Tuesday  morning. — Dear  father  is  no  better ;  was  suffering  a  great 
deal  all  night.  Edward  Ross  came  up  to  see  and  help  nurse  him.  Oh, 
that  we  could  relieve  him  !" 

"  January  2oth. — The  doctor  says  he  cannot  live  more  than  forty-eight 
•  hours,  unless  a  change  for  the  better  takes  place  soon.  He  suffers  a 
great  deal,  but  is  resigned  to  both  suffering  and  death  ;  for  he  is  ready 
for  the  change  that  awaits  us  all.  I  heard  him  praying  several  times  to- 
day that  he  might  be  permitted  to  die,  and  be  at  rest.  His  faith  is 
unwavering,  for  he  '  knows  in  whom  he  has  put  his  trust.'  " 

"  January  2(ith. — I  see  no  change  in  father's  condition  since  yesterday, 
except  his  mind  seems  more  wandering.  He  smiled  pleasantly  while 
relating  some  of  the  incidents  of  his  early  life.  He  is  perfectly  helpless 
and  requires  several  persons  to  turn  him  in  the  bed.  Mr.  Richard 
Tandy,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barclay,  Annie  Pendleton,  Mr.  B  Garnett,  indeed 
all  the  neighbors  come  to  inquire  how  he  is,  and  offer  to  sit  with  him  at 
night.  I  give  you  all  these  particulars,  for  I  know  you  want  to  hear 
them." 

"  January  27th. — Father  is  no  better  to-day.  His  mind  wanders,  so 
that  it  is  sad  to  hear  him  talk.  The  doctor  says  he  is  no  longer  sensible 
of  his  sufferings,  and  I  am  thankful  that  it  is  so.  Mr.  William  Pen- 
dleton, Mr,  R.  Jameson,  and  Mr.  E.  Garnett,  are  particularly  kind. 
Brother  James  is  still  with  us,  and  will  remain   till  all  is  over.     Your 


418  ELDER   REUBEN    ROSS. 

grandfather  says,  '  Eugene  is  one  of  the  best  nurses  he  has  ever  seen.' 
I  feel  so  sad  !     It  seems  to  help  me  to  tell  you  all  these  things. 

"  January  2Sth. — Your  grandfather  breathed  his  last  this  morning,  a 
few  minutes  after  five  o'clock,  without  a  sigh  or  a  groan.  It  is  some 
comfort  that  his  last  moments  were  so  calm  and  easy,  after  all  his  suffer- 
ings ;  though  he  appeared  to  feel  no  pain  for  twenty-four  hours  before 
his  death,  and  was  unconscious  a  great  deal  of  the  time.  Yesterday,  he 
looked  up  at  brother  James,  and  said  :  '  Why,  Jemmie ! '  and  smiled, 
and  seemed  surprised  and  pleased,  as  though  he  had  but  just  come.  Im- 
mediately after  he  fell  asleep,  and  slept  for  8evera.l  hours,  breathing 
calmly  and  sweetly  as  if  he  had  been  well.  When  he  awoke  your  father 
was  standing  by  his  bed.  He  said:  'Johnnie,  if  you  will  open  the 
door,  I  will  sing  you  a  new  song.'  When  the  door  was  opened,  he 
began : 

"  '  Oh,  sing  to  me  of  heaven 
When  I  am  called  to  die  ! ' 

"  His  countenance  brightened  up  while  singing  and  he  sung  several 
verses  very  distinctly.  And  these,  my  child,  were  his  last  audible  words 
on  earth.  I  thank  my  Heavenly  Father  for  the  reason  I  have  to  believe 
that  he  and  my  dear  mother  went  directly  to  heaven  when  they  left  this 
suffering  world ;  for  heaven  was  a  theme  they  loved  to  dwell  upon 
Father  will  be  buried  to-morrow  at  Cedar  Hill,  at  three  o'clock.  Brother 
James  has  gone  down  to.  attend  to  the  digging  of  a  grave  by  the  side  o, 
our  beloved  mother.  How  calm  and  peaceful  and  beautiful  he  looked 
when  I  beheld  him  for  the  last  time  !  He  was  dressed  in  a  suit  of  deep 
black,  without  shroud  or  winding-sheet,  as  was  his  expressed  desire.  He 
requested  your  uncle  to  bury  him  in  a  plain,  black  walnut  coffin,  just 
like  the  one  our  mother  was  buried  in.  I  wi^h  you  could  have  seen 
him.  It  would  have  left  such  a  pleasant  recollection  with  you.  His 
features  wore  the  same  sweet,  peaceful  expression  that  rested  on  mother's 
after  death." 

"  January  oOth. — Eugene  and  Millie  have  returned  from  Cedar  Hill. 
They  say  they  never  saw  so  many  people  at  a  burial  before.  A  good 
many  joined  them  as  they  passed  through  Trenton  and  the  neighborhood 
below.  •  ■  "I  can't  tell  you  how  much  I   miss  him. 

He  was  so  much  comp.any  for  me,  and  I  loved  to  think  he  was  safe  in 
his'  own  room,  even  when  I  did  not  see  him  walking  about.  When 
Spring  comes  how  I  shall  miss  him.    He  told  me  of  the  first  visits  of  the 


LAST   ILLNESS    AND   DEATH.  419 

l)ir<Is,  and  of  the  first  blossoms  of  the  early  Spring.  ITow  often  has  he 
brought  me  a  little  flower  and  said  :  '  See,  Nannie,  how  pretty  !  and  the 
weather  still  so  cold.'  Father  wa.s  unquestionably  a  superior  man  in 
many  respects.  I  am  his  oldest  child,  and  he  was  more  confidential 
with  me,  I  suppose,  on  that  account.  I  was  with  him  in  so  many  of  the 
sad  events  of  his  life  !  I  also  enjoyed  his  happiness,  when  his  labors 
were  crowned  with  success  in  the  noble  work  to  which  he  had  devoted 
himself.  His  life  was  a  checkered  scene,  and,  as  I  look  back  on  it,  the 
prominent  characteristics,  as  I  recall  them,  were  his  dignity  in  the  pres- 
ence of  men,  his  humilit)'  before  God,  and  his  tender  sympathy  for  all 
who  were  in  trouble." 

"  You  have  heard  him  preach  many  fine  sermons,  but  I,  who  remem 
ber  him  in  his  prime,  considered  him  unsurpassed  by  any  preacher  I  ever 
heard.  I  was  proud  of  him,  and  his  memory  will  be  a  living  pleasure 
while  life  endures." 

Thus,  my  dear  Marion,  your  aunt  who  loved  him  ten- 
derly, described  the  closing  scenes  of  your  grandfather's" 
life,  and  at  the  same  time  the  feelings  of  her  own  affection- 
ate heart.  They  were  a  mutual  pleasure  to  each  other 
while  they  lived.  He  loved  her  for  her  sweet  temper, 
gentleness,  and  affectionate  heart;  and  she  reverenced 
him  for  the  noble  qualities  he  possessed.  They  now  sleep 
side  by  side  in  their  quiet  graves. 

At  your  grandfather's  interment  there  were  no  religious 
services,  except  a  very  touching  prayer  by  Elder  S.  P. 
Forgy,  which  seemed  to  impress  the  hearts  of  all  present, 
in  which  he  alluded  to  the  wide  spread  grief  that  would  be 
felt  when  the  news  of  his  death  should  go  abroad.  But  on 
the  23rd  of  Ju]y  following,  Elder  J.  M.  Pendleton,  to  a 
large  audience,  delivered  a  deeply  interesting  address,  in 
which  he  reviewed  his  life  and  times,  and  placed  his  char- 
acter as  a  man,  a  Christian,  and  a  minister  of  the  gospel 
before  the  audience,  as  no  one  who  had  not  loved  and  ad- 
mired him,  could  have  done.     This  address  appeared  after- 


420  ELDER   REUBEN   ROSS. 

wards  in  print ;  such  was  its  character  I  doubted  the  pro- 
priety of  writing  any  thing  farther  on  the  subject,  but 
finally  concluded  that  you  and  others  of  your  grandfather's 
descendants  would  be  pleased  to  have  a  more  extended  ac- 
count of  his  life  and  of  the  fortunes  of  our  family  in  the 
early  times. 

Elder  Pendleton,  though  born  in  Virginia,  was  taken 
when  an  infant  to  Kentucky,  and  belongs  to  one  of  the 
most  respectable  families  in  that  part  of  the  country.  His 
father  and  your  grandfather  were  intimate  friends,  from 
the  time  of  their  first  acquaintance.  Elder  Pendleton  was 
raised  under  your  grandfather's  ministry,  baptized  at 
Bethel  Church  in  April,  1829,  began  to  preach  in  Septem- 
ber, 1831,  and  was  ordained  at  Hopkinsville,  November  2, 
1833,  by  Elders  William  Tandy,  Robert  Rutherford,  Wil- 
liam 0.  Warfield,  and  your  grandfather,  who,  from  the 
first,  predicted  a  bright  future  for  him,  and  rejoiced  in  the 
hope  that  he  was  destined  to  accomplish  much  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Master.  From  his  early  youth,  Elder  Pendle- 
ton manifested  deep  affection  and  reverence  for  your 
grandfather,  and  has  never  failed,  when  occasion  oflfered,  to 
express  his  admiration  of  his  Christian  character,  etc.  In 
an  article  I  have  lately  seen,  he  says : 

"  The  name  Reuben  Ross,  awakened  in  rae  many  tender  recollections. 
I  knew  him  from  my  childhood,  and  always  felt  a  profound  veneration 
for  hira.  In  his  palmy  days,  he  was  what  I  will  call  a  fine  specimen  of 
manly  beauty.  In  person  he  was  above  the  average  size,  of  a  com- 
manding presence,  and  of  dignified  manners.  No  one  could  see  him 
without  believing  him  to  be  a  remarkable  man.  Though  not  acquainted 
with  the  technical  rules  of  logic,  he  was  a  powerful  reasoner.     In  the 

realms   of  the   pathetic,  he   had  no  superior I  have  been 

young  and  now  I  am  growing  old,  and  must  not  express  myself  extrava- 
gantly.    I  have   listened  to  great  men   in  the  South  and  in  the  North. 


LAST   ILLNESS    AND    DEATH.  421 

.  .  .  . — Yet,  I  say  I  have  heard  nothing,  I  have  seen  nothing,  that 
impressed  me  so  deeply  as  the  appearance  of  Elder  Reuben  Ross,  when  in 
solemn  majesty,  and  with  pathetic  earnestness,  he  entreated  sinners  to 
be  reconciled  to  God." 

I  will  close  this  chapter  by  another  extract  from  the  ad- 
dress refered  to. 

"It  is  right/or  ne  to  say  here  that  Elder  Ross  was  called  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  year  1836,  to  preach  to  this  church,  (Bethel)  and  commenced 
his  labors  in  1837.  He  preached  for  you  about  seventeen  years.  I  need 
not  tell  you  liow  he  labored  for  your  welfare,  and  how  the  Lord  blessed 
his  labors,  for  you  know  better  than  1.  In  the  year  1838,  you  saw  him 
on  one  bright  morning  baptize  sixty-six  rejoicing  converts,  and  often  in 
subsequent  years,  did  he  visit  the  baptismal  waters.  Venerated  by  all 
in  the  community,  he  here  proclaimed  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ. 
His  voice  always  mild,  and  often  through  deep  feeling,  assuming  a  melt- 
ing tenderness  in  its  intonations,  resounded  again  and  again  within 
these  walls.  In  this  Sanctuary  he  wept  over  you  and  your  children,  for 
his  eyes  were  prodigal  of  tears.  You  will  cherish  his  memory  while  you 
live,  and  transmit  your  impressions  of  his  many  excellencies  to  the  gen- 
erations following. 

"  For  several  years  before  his  death,  our  venerable  brother,  owing  to 
the  infirmities  of  declining  age,  was  able  to  preach  only  an  occasional 
sermon.  He  lived  in  your  mid,st,  and  you  know  what  sufTerings  were 
his.  The  vigor  of  his  manhood  was  gone,  and  disease  fastened  itself 
upon  his  noble  form.  He  suffered  and  declined  till  the  28th  of  January, 
1860,  when  he  breathed  his  last,  in  the  eighty-fourth  year  of  his  age. 
The  day  on  which  he  passed  away  a  great  and  good  man  died.  I  cannot 
think  a  purer  spirit  than  his  ever  ascended  to  the  skies.  The  state  of  his 
mind  as  he  drew  near  the  grave  was  characterized  by  tranquil  trust  in 
Christ.  There  was  no  special  ecstacy,  but  the  calmness  of  abiding  trust 
in  the  Saviour.  Thus  lived  and  died  Reuben  Ross,  whose  name  I  have 
been  accustomed  from  childhood  to  consider  as  the  synonym  of  all  that 
is  good  in  human  character. 

"  His  eyes  first  saw  the  light  in  North  Carolina.  The  greater  part  of 
his  life  was  spent  in  Tennessee,  and  he  died  in  Kentucky.  His  body  was 
conveyed  to  his  former  home  near  Clarksville,  Tennessee,  and  buried  by 
the  wife  of  his  youth,  under  the  spreading  branches  of  a  noble  oak,  and 
not  far  off  a  cluster  of  cedars,  ever  green,  fit  emblem  of  immortality." 

19 


422       •  ELDER    REUBEN   ROSS. 

Such  was  the  language  of  a  Christian  brother,  prompted 
by  the  mingled  sentiments  of  love  and  esteem,  as  he  re- 
viewed the  life  of  one  who  had  "  finished  his  course,"  and 
entered  into  his  rest — one  of  those  "  who  had  turned  many 
to  righteousness,"  and  of  whom  it  is  said  :  ''  They  shall 
shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament,  and  as  the  stars 
forever." 


CHAPTER    XLIIL 

MEMORIAL  SERVICE. 

Early  in  18G1  our  great  civil  war  began,  and  for  four 
unhappy  years  but  little  was  heard  except  the  "  clash  of 
resounding  arms."  So  soon  as  tranquillity  was,  to  some 
extent  restored,  the  thoughts  of  his  brethren  reverted  to 
your  grandfather,  and  they  resolved  to  place  a  monument 
at  his  grave,  to  perpetuate  his  memory  and  to  testify  their 
esteem  and  respect  for  him.  This  was  accordingly  done, 
and  the  memorial  services  on  the  occasion  are  thus  noticed 
in  the  Western  Recorder  of  July  1st,  1871 : 

"  According  to  request  made  by  the  last  Ministers'  and  Deacons'  Meet- 
ing of  the  Bethel  Association  at  Hopkinsville,  a  large  number  of  the 
relatives  and  friends  and  acquaintances  of  the  loved  and  lamented  Father 
Ross  met,  on  Tuesday  morning,  June  20th,  1871,  at  the  old  homestead  in 
Montgomery  County,  Tennessee,  in  order  to  hold  some  befitting  memorial 
service  in  connection  with  the  monument  lately  erected  to  his  memory, 
by  order  of  the  Bethel  Association. 

"  The  occasion  was  one  of  deep  and  impressive  solemnity,  full  of  heart- 
touching  reminiscences,  which  found  utterance  in  the  silent  tear,  rather 
than  the  pomp  of  ceremony.  It  was  a  congregation  of  mourners,  com- 
posed of  the  children  and  grandchildren  of  brethren  and  friends  of  life- 
long acquaintance,  met  together  to  pay  the  last  earthly  tribute  of  respect 
and  veneration  to  a   Father  in  Israel.     After  visiting  the  grave,  the 

423 


424  ELDEE  REUBEN  EOSS. 

auiJience  repaired  to  the  yarJ, — and,  beneath  tlie  Lranclics  of  a  wide- 
spreading  oak,  the  services  took  place  in  the  following  order: 

"  Elder  S.  A.  Holland  acting  as  Moderator,  and  J.  W.  Rust  as  Clerk. 

"  First — Hymn,  '  And  let  this  feeble  body  fail.' 

"Second— Reading,  1  Cor.  15:  42-58,  by  Elder  J.  L.  Crutcher. 

"  Third— Prayer,  by  S.  S.  Mallory. 

"Fourth — Hymn,  'Servant  of  God,  well  done.' 

"  Fifth — Memorial  Address,  by  Elder  W.  W.  Gardner.'' 

The  speaker  delivered  this  address  standing  near  the 
spot  where,  twenty-four  years  before,  Dr.  Baker  addressed 
a  similar  audience  on  the  occasion  of  your  grandmother's 
funeral.     Many  were  present  now  that  were  present  then, 
and  were,  no  doubt,  forcibly  reminded  of  that  occasion. 
The  day,  now  as  then,  was  beautiful.     The  air  was  soft 
and  balmy,  and  this,  together  with  the  deep-green  foliage 
of  the  trees,  the  verdure  of  the  sward  beneath,  the  bright, 
unclouded  sky  of  June  above,  and  the  subdued  and  noise- 
less multitude  listening  in  rapt  attention  to  the  impressive 
words  of  the  speaker — presented  a  scene  long  to  be  remem- 
bered by  those  present.     With  these  tender  but  pleasing 
reminiscences  fresh  in  our  memory,  we  now,  my  dear  Ma- 
rion, bring  to  a    close  our  Kecollections  of  the  Life  and 
Times  of  your  Grandfather — Elder  Reuben  Eoss. 


JAMES   ROSS. 


APPEI^DIX, 


BRIEF  SKETCH  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 

James  Ross,  the  writer  of  the  foregoing  "  Eecollections/' 
was  born  September  3,  1801.  He  was  a  bright  boy,  and 
his  merry  voice  was  sweet  as  music  to  his  parents.  His 
father  knowing  the  value  of  education  by  the  lack  of  it, 
resolved  that,  if  possible,  his  son  should  know  its  worth 
by  its  possession.  There  were  many  obstacles  in  the  way 
of  the  accomplishment  of  the  father's  purpose,  but  in  the 
good  providence  of  God  it  was  accomplished.  After  en- 
joying the  limited  advantages  of  Primary  Schools,  James 
was,  through  the  kindness  of  a  friend,  placed  in  an  Insti- 
tution of  high  grade,  in  which  much  attention  was  given 
to  classical  studies.  He  diligently  improved  his  opportu- 
nities and  acquired  quite  a  reputation  as  a  Latin  and 
Greek  scholar.  He  taught  these  languages  for  forty  years* 
and  there  are,  no  doubt,  many  now  living  who  are  in- 
debted to  him  for  their  first  love  of  classical  studies. 

He  was  very  happy  in  his  marriage,  having  gained  the 
heart  and  hand  of  Miss  Barker,  daughter  of  Charles  Bar- 
ker, Esq.,  whose  residence  was  not  far  from  Clarksville, 
Tenn.  She  was  a  woman  of  sprightly  intellect,  liberal 
education,  attractive  person,  elegant  manners,  and  sincere 
piety.  She  was  the  worthy  wife  of  her  worthy  husband. 
They  had  seven  children,  four  of  whom  are  believed  to  be 
dead.*     Two  sons  are  living,  one  of  whom  is  Dr.  John  W. 

*  The  writer  thus  expresses  himself,  not  being  certain. 

425 


426  ArrENDix. 

Boss,  of  the  United  States  Navy,  who  so  generously  uti- 
lized his  medical  knowledge  and  experience  in  the  Yellow 
Fever  epidemic  at  Memphis  a  few  years  ago. 

The  only  surviving  daughter  is  Mrs.  Dudley,  of  Logan 
County,  Kentucky,  for  whose  gratification  the  foregoing 
pages  were  written. 

The  death  of  Mrs.  Eoss  preceded  that  of  her  husband. 
For  some  years  he  trod  the  path  of  life  uncheered  by  her 
presence  and  her  smiles.  He  never  forgot  his  happy  mar- 
ried life,  and  did  not  believe  that  the  grave  contained  more 
precious  dust  than  that  of  his  loved  one.  After  her  death 
he  seemed,  if  possible,  more  closely  drawn  to  his  children! 
and  was  specially  gratified  to  see  in  them  a  reproduction 
of  the  virtues  conspicuous  in  their  mother. 

The  reader  will  think  it  strange  that  Mr.  James  Ross 
never  made  a  public  profession  of  religion.  He  was  con- 
sidered by  those  who  knew  him  a  believer  in  Christ — he 
was  in  principle  a  Baptist — but  his  ideal  of  what  a  Christ- 
ian professor  should  be  was  so  high  as  to  deter  him  from 
making  "the  good  profession,"  lest  he  should  dishonor  it. 
He  doubtless  took  a  mistaken  view  of  the  matter. 

He  died  after  a  short  illness  in  March,  1878,  in  the  77th 
year  of  his  age.  Plis  robust  and  manly  form  fell  under 
the  stroke  of  mortality,  and  no  one  more  worthy  to  be 
called  an  accomplished  gentleman  survives  him.  Patient 
in  his  last  illness,  yet  sufiering  much,  he  sighed  for  rest. 
His  last  words  were  "  Bequuscat  in  pace,"  of  which  he 
gave  the  translation — "Let  him  rest  in  peace." 

His  funeral  sermon  was  preached  by  A.  D.  Sears,  D.  D., 
and  they  buried  him  by  the  wife  of  his  love. 

J.  M.  P. 


ERRATA. 
P.  124,  line  twelve,  (or  pay  re&dpasa. 
P.  124,  line  two  from  bottom,  for  1728  read  1808. 
P.  304,  line  fourth,  for  you  and  your  grandfather  read,  your  grand- 
mother and  grandfather. 

P.  322,  fourth  line,  biographes  read  biographer. 


Throlo9ic.ll   Seminary- Spfpi 


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